Cellular service provider, Airtel on Friday installed 1000th cell site in Maharashtra and Goa circle at Katol, 40 km from Nagpur, and claimed to have become first private player to do so.
"The total number of base stations will touch 1500 by March next year and Airtel will enter over 300 new towns across Maharashtra and Goa thus spanning the coverage to a total 550 towns and 33 districts," Chief Operating Officer, Bharti Televentures, Christopher Tobit told reporters.
Airtel will offer superior quality network in key tourist and pilgrimage destinations including Shirdi, Trimbakshwar, Mahabaleshwar, Shanishingnaapur, Nanded, Pandharpur, Lonavala and Khandala with an investment to the tune of Rs 250 crore for network expansion, capacity enhancement and other infrastructure, he said.
The company will also commission its third mobile switch centre (MSC) in second capital by end of March 2006, he said, adding during the current fiscal, Airtel will be covering additional highways like Bhusawal-Shegaon, Dhule-Nashik and Mumbai-Goa besides rail and road network on Mumbai-Goa and Vasai-Ahmedabad by next March.
Tobit said they will be launching 62 additional new towns and three new districts of Washim, Gadchiroli and Hingoli by March end.
It is also introducing network on wheels (NOW) and would be deploying five such NOWs in Maharashtra and Goa, he added.
Source:PTI