Bharti Airtel to invest Rs.6,400 Crore in 3G Services

In the present financial year, Bharti Airtel is investing 1 billion dollars (Rs.6,400 crore) to extend its 3G services across the India, expanding the network in new and existing circles to deploy data spectrum. According to a source, Airtel will roll out 3G networks aggressively over the first six months of this financial year as it has acquired additional 3G airwaves in many circles to plug coverage gaps. The company will take a call on injecting additional funds in 3G network expansion after getting a fix on whether the targeted revenue growth has been generated.

During the company’s fourth-quarter earnings call, Gopal Vittal, Managing Director & CEO for India & South Asia, Bharti Airtel, had stated that while rolling out 3G networks, the company “would look at up fronting this capex in the first half” itself. According to a report released by UBS brokerage, the proportion of the mobile phone operator’s 3G sites increased to 33.3% of the total in the quarter ended March 2015, from 22.6% a year earlier.

Bharti Airtel Logo 150x150 Bharti Airtel to invest Rs.6,400 Crore in 3G ServicesAirtel 3G services triggered an 84-per cent growth in data consumption in FY15 from a year earlier. After the telco spent billions of dollars buying high-speed data spectrum in the 2010 and subsequent auctions, less than 9% of its subscribers use 3G services...See more