From the Press Room: Airtel Spells “End of Distance” in India

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 Re 1.75/minute at present .Further, while roaming, Airtel customers can make an outgoing local call at Re 1/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.

Bharti Airtel
Bharti Airtel Limited
(A Bharti Enterprise)
Qutab Ambience (at Qutab Minar), Mehrauli Road,
New Delhi - 110030
Tel. No. : +91 11 4166 6000
Fax No. : +91 11 4166 6011/12

Bharti Airtel Limited, a group company of Bharti Enterprises, is India’s leading integrated telecom services provider with an aggregate of 55.09 million customers as of end of November 2007, consisting of 52.96 million mobile customers. Bharti Airtel has been rated among the best performing companies in the world in the BusinessWeek IT 100 list 2007.

This release was published on openPR.