Airtel announced its plans to deploy more than 17,313 new mobile sites and add 6,650 KMs of fresh optic fiber in Uttar Pradesh (UP) and Uttarakhand states.
The proposed network expansion program – Project LEAP – during financial year 2018-19 is aimed at enhancing customer experience as well as expanding high speed data and voice services in rural pockets.
Airtel has deployed 43,219 cell sites in Uttar Pradesh and Uttarakhand during financial year 2017-18. This additional investment would assist Airtel to enhance its telecom network in UP and Uttarakhand by 40 percent to 60,532.
Airtel said the addition of fresh optic fiber would extend Airtel’s fiber backbone in the two states to 26,800 KMs in the region, supporting the growth of high speed data services in the region.
Airtel network in UP East
Platinum 3G services in 2015
23,944 sites including 11,178 2G sites, 5,421 3G sites and 7,345 4G sites in March 2018
Added 6,109 sites including 108 2G sites, 168 3G and 5,833 4G sites in 2017-18
4G services in 2016
Added 10,138 2G / 4G sites in 2018-19
34,082 sites including 12,478 2G sites, 6,221 3G sites and 15,383 4G sites in March 2019
VoLTE services in 2018
14,800 KMs of fiber backbone
Deployed 965 KM of fiber in 2017-18 and plans to add 4,650 KM in 2018-19
4G on FD LTE 1800 MHz, 3G in 2100 MHz and 2G in 900 MHz and 1800 MHz
500 towns and 95,337 villages covered
Airtel network in UP West
3G services in 2011
19,275 sites including 7,380 2G sites, 5,248 3G sites, and 6,647 4G sites in March 18
Deployed 5,344 sites including 252 2G sites, 524 3G sites and 4,568 4G sites in 2017-18
4G services in 2016
Added 7,175 2G / 4G sites in 2018-19
26,450 sites including 8,451 2G sites, 5,248 3G sites and 12,751 4G sites in March 2019
12,000 KMs of fiber backbone
Deployed 1,380 Km of fiber in 2017-18 and plan to add 2,000 Km in 2018-19
4G on FD LTE 1800 MHz, 3G in 2100 MHz and 2G in 1800 MHz
483 towns and 29,178 villages covered
The roll-out would mean addition of more than two new site every hour to Airtel’s network in UP and Uttarakhand.
Airtel engineers will deploy about 10,138 new sites in UP (East) from the total of 17,313 new sites.
Airtel will add 7,175 new sites in UP (West) and Uttarakhand.
“We will invest in the region and take our network capabilities to the next level, ably backed by a scaled up and strengthened infrastructure,” Shailendra Singh, chief executive officer – UP & Uttarakhand, Bharti Airtel, said.
Airtel has over 49.6 million customers across UP and Uttarakhand. Its network reaches 983 towns and 1,24,515 villages across UP and Uttarakhand.
The network expansion plan for FY 2018-19 follows an addition of more than 11,453 new sites in 2017-18 in the UP and Uttarakhand, expanding its mobile broadband coverage to 983 towns.