Bharti Airtel, which purchased spectrum in key circles, has revealed its growth strategy and action plan to enhance indoor coverage.
Airtel has acquired 97 MHz spectrum for Rs 6,857 crore by winning back spectrum that was expiring in the current year and purchasing spectrum to enhance its mid-band spectrum holding across the select circles.
Out of the above, Bharti Hexacom has acquired 15 MHz with an outlay of Rs 1,001 crore.
Airtel said the spectrum purchase is in line with company’s strategy to build large pool of mid-band holding to deliver seamless 4G and 5G services across the country. Airtel is the second largest telecom operator in India.
As a result of the use of the mid-band spectrum, smartphone customers can enjoy enhanced browsing speeds in addition to improved indoor coverage, Gopal Vittal – MD & CEO of Bharti Airtel said.
“Airtel continues to judiciously acquire the right amount of spectrum to deliver the best possible experience to our customers. In this auction, we have bolstered our sub-giga hertz and mid-band holding which will significantly improve our coverage especially indoor,” Gopal Vittal said.
Airtel India’s Capex during the January-March quarter was Rs 8,491 crore. Airtel India added 28.6 million 4G / 5G data customers to its network over last year. Airtel India has rolled out ~10.5k towers in the quarter to strengthen network coverage. Airtel India rolled out 43,102 towers during the year to ensure coverage and connectivity in rural as well as urban areas.
Airtel India recently reported revenues of Rs 28,513 crore (up 12.9 percent) during Q4 fiscal 2024. ARPU for the quarter stood at Rs 209 as compared to Rs 193 in Q4’23 driven by focus on acquiring quality customers and mix improvement.
Baburajan Kizhakedath
