Public CompanyBharti Airtel to lead teledensity in next 5 yrs
India"s largest mobile operator Bharti Airtel, which has over 110 million users, today was confident that it will lead the race in adding new users in the next five years by when there would be 1 billion mobile subscribers.
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"Bharti Airtel will lead the country"s teledensity to 1 billion by 2015 and execute a globally distinct four screens strategy for achieving superior market leadership," Bharti Airtel Chief Executive Officer and Joint Managing Director Manoj Kohli said while sharing the company"s message on the eve of the new year.
He said, "We strongly believe that in the next decade, the telecom sector, especially through wireless broadband, will once again rise to the occasion and contribute substantially to superior efficiency, productivity and speed of the economy."
The mobile subscriber base in the country crossed the 500-million mark to touch 506 million in November. The total telecom subscriber base stood at 543 million at the end of November. The tele-density or the number of mobile owners per 100 stands at 46.32.
"From 2010, India will enter a new orbit of swifter growth and global innovation. Both government and industry will need to collaborate more intensively to sustain 8-9 per cent GDP growth through this decade to enable 300 million people, primarily in rural areas, who are below the poverty line to truly become consumers of various goods and services," he said.
This can only happen if the investments in both hard infrastructure in roads and power and soft infrastructure in education and health are significantly enhanced.