Bharti Airtel plans to add more than 8,000 new cellular sites and more than 4200 KMs of optic fiber in Maharashtra and Goa in fiscal 2018-19.
The network expansion program in Maharashtra & Goa, which is part of Project LEAP program, will improve data capacities in rural, towns and cities. Mumbai, the capital of Maharashtra, is not part of the expansion. Airtel has different budget and expansion plans exclusively for Mumbai metro.
Network highlights of Airtel Maharashtra & Goa
# Launched 4G services on 2300 MHz in April 2012
# Added 4G services on 1800 MHz in February 2017
# Launched VoLTE services in October 2017
# Fiber backbone reached 17,400 KMs
# Total number of sites in fiscal 2017-18 — 31,000
# Towns and villages covered by Airtel network — 40,000
Airtel, the number one telecom operator in India, added more than 7,000 new sites and more than 2,600 KMs of optic fiber out in Maharashtra & Goa in fiscal 2017-18. Airtel said its mobile broadband coverage reached to 27,000 towns and villages.
“We will continue to invest aggressively in the region and expand our network capabilities with over 38,000 sites by the end of this financial year,” Rohit Marwha, chief executive officer – Maharashtra & Goa, Bharti Airtel, said.
The addition of one new site per hour to Airtel’s network in the states of Maharashtra & Goa (excl Mumbai), will assist the mobile operator to increase the number of mobile sites by 25 percent to 38,000.
The addition of fresh optic fiber would extend its fiber backbone to 21,600 KMs, supporting the growth of high speed data services in the region.
