Airtel to invest Rs 60K cr on network in 3 years

Girja Shankar Kaura

Tribune News Service

New Delhi, November 30

In an attempt to improve the quality of its network, country’s largest telecom operator Bharti Airtel today said it would invest Rs 60,000 crore over the next three years on its network transformation programme, Project Leap.

The programme aimed at improving network quality and delivering the best customer experience, the company said. This investment of Rs 60, 000 crores is over and above the Rs 1.6 lakh crore Airtel has already invested in its active and passive network, spectrum, fibre, submarine cables and systems till date.

This ambitious programme makes the Airtel investment one of the largest by a private sector company in India.

As part of the programme, the company will deploy over 70,000 base stations in this financial year, making it the largest deployment in a single year since its perception.

By March 2016, over 60 per cent of Airtel’s network will be mobile broadband enabled. In three years, it will deploy 1.6 lakh base stations, effectively doubling its presence from what it has today.

“Our large customer base covers rural, urban, homes, and enterprises, and we are obsessed about delivering an exceptional experience for each one of them so as to win them for life,” said Gopal Vittal, managing director and CEO, Bharti Airtel (India and South Asia).