Bharti Airtel bags Bhutan cable network contract

Indian telecom firm Bharti Airtel today said it has signed an accord with the government of Bhutan to expand the firm's optic fibre cable network to the Himalayan kingdom. The company said in a statement that the cable network would improve voice and data services in Bhutan.

''Airtel has inked an MoU with the Royal Government of Bhutan to extend fibre connectivity to the Himalayan Kingdom,'' Bharti Airtel said in a statement. However, financial details were not disclosed.

"At Bharti, we have always believed in undertaking business projects that have a positive impact on the society at large. The launch of 'Bhutan Fibre Connect' is a reiteration of Bharti Airtel's commitment to building a truly global network," chief executive officer and joint managing director Manoj Kohli said.

The initiative will enable enterprises in Bhutan to reach out to different countries by accessing Bharti's cable assets through its international cable landing stations in Chennai and Mumbai, the statement said.

"Bhutan has identified information and communications technology as a priority sector for creating an information society, providing government services to citizens and businesses through the deployment of e-government solutions and further the growth of the IT/ITES industry and data centre market in Bhutan," Royal Government of Bhutan minister for information and communications Lyonpo Nandalal Rai said.

Bharti, which also operates mobile services in Sri Lanka, continues to be locked in talks with South Africa's MTN Group aimed at a merger to create the world's third-biggest telecoms firm.