Company Press Release:

 

Airtel Spells “End of Distance” in India

 

 

            

•      Creates an India without boundaries

•      Liberates national long distance calling

•      Redefines national roaming

•      Makes mobile telephony more affordable

 

New Delhi, April 28, 2008: Reiterating its commitment to make mobile telephony more affordable, Airtel today announced unprecedented tariff reductions on STD and Roaming services for its over 62 million customers.

 

Airtel has reduced its STD rates dramatically to Re 1.50/ minute from the earlier Re 2.65/ minute, benefiting all Airtel customers who make long distance calls. The new tariffs will be effective from April 30, 2008.

 

Airtel has also redefined the roaming regime in the country. Airtel customers will now be able to receive a call while roaming at Re 1/minute, as compared to Re1.75/minute at present. Further, while roaming, Airtel customers can make an outgoing local call at Re1/minute and an STD call at Re 1.50/minute. This will help create an India without boundaries, making communication with loved ones easier and more affordable.

 

                   

Mr. Manoj Kohli, President & CEO, Bharti Airtel Ltd said, “Airtel has today taken another step to take forward India’s telecom story powered by enhanced affordability. 800 million Indians are now closer than ever before. This initiative will particularly benefit rural customers and underlines our commitment to the nation’s growth.”           

 

Mr. Sanjay Kapoor, President, Mobile Services, Bharti Airtel, added, “This initiative spells the end of distance for our existing and prospective customers. With 70% STD customers in India using less than 5 minutes/month on STD calls and 80% mobile customers not using their phones while roaming, we have a compelling customer proposition. I am delighted that we are leading this endeavour, which strengthens our strategic plank of affordability. I am confident that this will drive growth and usage in the Indian telecom industry.”

 

Airtel has always been a front-runner in leading affordability in the industry, one of the many reasons why over 62 million customers prefer its services. This revised tariff further reinforces Airtel’s commitment to make mobile telephony more affordable. The 700-million strong rural market in India is the biggest single market in the world and Airtel is rapidly expanding its footprint in the rural areas of the country. It has already connected over 3.2-lakh villages and plans to reach 5 lakh by 2010. This rapid roll out is witnessing a large number of customers joining Airtel’s network from the rural areas of the country. Therefore, these tariff initiatives will help catalyze efforts to make telephony more affordable for all customers across the country and further reinforce Airtel as the industry leader in both affordability and availability.

 

Industry reports indicate that education, tourism and travel will be key growth driver of the future. Data shows that Airtel remains committed to ensuring that communication continues to help facilitate cultural, social and commercial exchanges to the benefit of its customers. The reduced call tariffs will be a welcome relief to the increasing number of people who are taking up educational, professional or commerce opportunities in different parts of the country. Bridging distances, the revised call tariffs will empower Airtel customers to talk more at an affordable cost.

 

Earlier, Airtel initiatives like the Re.200 Recharge, Easy Charge, Lifetime, Easy Lifetime & Super Lifetime Prepaid have revolutionized the Indian market in terms of creating customer value and Airtel will continue to come up with offerings that facilitate an affordable and available mobile experience.

 

About Bharti Airtel Limited:

Bharti Airtel Limited, a group company of Bharti Enterprises, is India’s leading integrated telecom services provider with an aggregate of 64.26 million customers as of end of March 2008, consisting of 61.98 million mobile customers. Bharti Airtel has been rated among the best performing companies in the world in the BusinessWeek IT 100 list 2007.

 

Bharti Airtel is structured into three strategic business units - Mobile services, Telemedia services and Enterprise services. The mobile business provides mobile & fixed wireless services using GSM technology across 23 telecom circles. The Telemedia business provides broadband & telephone services in 94 cities and is foraying into the IPTV and DTH segments. The Enterprise services provide end-to-end telecom solutions to corporate customers and national & international long distance services to carriers. All these services are provided under the Airtel brand. Airtel’s high-speed optic fibre network currently spans over 73,787 kms covering all the major cities in the country. The company has two international landing stations in Chennai that connects two submarine cable systems - i2i to Singapore and SEA-ME-WE-4 to Europe. For more information, visit www.bhartiairtel.in