The Hindu Business Line : AirTel makes a call in J&K

The Minister of Communication & Information Technology, Mr. Dayanidhi Maran, with the Jammu & Kashmir Chief Minister, Mufti Mohammad Sayeed, during the launch of AirTel's mobile telephone service in the State, in the Capital on Wednesday. — Ramesh Sharma

Srinagar , Oct. 20

AIRTEL on Wednesday became the first private operator to launch cellular services in the trouble-torn Jammu and Kashmir.

The company has earmarked an investment of Rs 125 crore during the current fiscal to cover 100 towns across the State.

This takes AirTel's presence in 19 circles across the country. The company plans to launch its services in Bihar, Assam and North-East in the next few months. Announcing the launch Mr Sunil Mittal, Chairman and Managing Director, Bharti Tele-Ventures, said, " The launch of AirTel mobile service is bound to have a profound impact on the economic growth of the entire region, as it would bridge distances, provide employment and also encourage tourism."

The launch will also enable mobile subscribers in other parts of the country to roam in Kashmir. However, international tourists will not be able to use roaming facility in the State owing to security concerns.

Mr Mittal said that the company has already got confirmed booking from 50,000 consumers in the State. "The response that we have received from J & K is much more than what we got in Mumbai," said Mr Mittal. Bharti has employed 200 people for its operations in J&K directly and another 1,000 people through its distribution channel.

Bharti has, for the first time deployed three mobile switching centres (MSC) in the State owing to tough terrain . In most other circles, Bharti has started with a single MSC. The company has also laid a robust network with satellite and micro-wave back up to cater to any emergencies.

AirTel has launched with 90 cell sites across 46 towns, which is expected to be taken up to 118 sites. The network is managed by Swedish equipment manufacturer Ericsson and is GPRS ready (general packet radio services).

Bharat Sanchar Nigam Ltd had already launched its mobile services in the State a year back and has a subscribers base of one lakh. Other private operators such as Reliance Infocomm are also looking at launching telecom services in the next few months.

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AirTel makes a call in J&K