The Hindu Business Line : Bharti expects more spectrum by year-end

Bharti Airtel has said that it is awaiting additional spectrum allocation for its next phase of growth and expects this to happen by the end of the current fiscal.

Mr Sanjay Kapoor, Joint President (Mobile Services), said: "We have been working with the Government for reallocation of available spectrum and it is indicated that this would most likely be completed by the end of this fiscal. Though it is not hindering the current growth, it would enhance the level of service."

Airtel has invested about $1.5 billion in infrastructure in ongoing expansion across various circles and sees itself playing a significant role as the mobile subscriber base heads to the 400-million mark by 2010 from 133 million now.

Yet, if this growth were achieved, it would account for about 27 per cent of the country's population and that would still be way behind some countries, such as the Philippines and Malaysia, in the region, he said.

Speaking to newspersons, Mr Kapoor said that Andhra Pradesh has achieved a significant milestone outpacing the total subscriber base of Delhi.

Though both the circles are not strictly comparable, as Delhi is a densely populated metro, the fact that the State has more numbers is significant.

Citing Cellular Operators Association of India data, Mr Kapoor said that Airtel now has 30 million subscribers, which is about 21.5 per cent of the country's mobile base.

It now hosts about 32,000 base stations and is in the process of adding 18,000-20,000.

Mr Elango T, CEO (Mobile Services), Andhra Pradesh, said that the circle has achieved yet another major milestone with its subscriber base crossing three million.

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