Bharti Airtel limited (Airtel) on Tuesday announced that it has commenced the implementation of its massive network transformation programme titled “Project leap” in Chhattisgarh and Madhya Pradesh.
Aimed at perceptibly improving network quality and delivering the best customer experience, Airtel recently announced an investment of Rs60,000 crore towards this strategic project during the next 3 years, according to a company press release.
“We see ‘Project leap’ as a transformation programme that will significantly improve the quality of both voice and data service across the length and breadth of Madhya Pradesh and Chhatisgarh,” Vir Inder Nath, Chief Executive Officer, Madhya Pradesh and Chhattisgarh, Bharti Airtel ltd, said.
The investment in this region would largely be towards upgrading and modernising its network, expanding the mobile broadband network to rural areas and laying optical fibre both locally and internationally, he said.
This investment of Rs60,000 crore is over and above the Rs1,60,000 crore Airtel has already invested in its active and passive network, spectrum, fiber, submarine cables and systems to date. This ambitious programme makes the Airtel investment one of the largest by a private sector company in India, Nath said.
Airtel will deploy over 70,000 base stations in FY 15-16 making it the largest deployment in a single year since its inception. By March 2016, over 60 per cent of Airtel’s network will be mobile broadband enabled. In three years, Airtel will deploy over 160,000 base stations, effectively doubling its presence from what it has today on the ground, he said.