Bharti Airtel Limited is an Indian telecommunications company that operates in 19 countries across South Asia, Africa and Channel Islands, and is headed by Sunil Bharti Mittal. Airtel is the world’s third largest mobile service provider after China Mobile and Vodafone. It is also India’s biggest wireless telecom operator, both by subscribers and revenue.
Headquartered in New Delhi, India, the company ranks amongst the top four mobile service providers globally. Airtel is structured into three strategic business units
– mobile, broadband & telephone (B&T) and enterprise services. The mobile business provides mobile & fixed wireless services using GSM technology across 23 telecom circles. The B&T business provides broadband & telephone services in 94 cities. The enterprise services provide end-to-end telecom solutions to corporate customers and national and international long distance services to carriers. All these services are provided under Brand Airtel. Airtel’s high-speed optic fibre network currently spans over 40,000 km, covering all major cities in the country.
New Technologies
Airtel has been in the market for over 18 years. With its towers and backhaul covering the length and breath of the country, the deployment of new technologies or increasing capacity requires minimal hardware upgrade. This ready infrastructure makes that process much faster and smoother. This has led to the company offering a number of services to its customers with ease. These services include mobile voice and data services, fixed telephone lines, high-speed broadband services, IPTV, DTH, turnkey telecom solutions for enterprises, along with national and international long-distance services to carriers. But the factor driving this company forward are its core values. The first in the list is flexibility for the adaptation of the environment changes and evolving customers’ needs. Its openness and transparency gives power to people to do their best, while creating a positive impact on the society by creating a meaningful difference.
Globally Admired
The company is making it happen through the innovation of new ideas with entrepreneurial spirit. With a vision statement that reads, “To be globally admired for telecom services that delight customers”, Airtel aims to achieve its distinctive objectives; the most important of them being the undertaking of transformational projects that has a positive impact on the society, while contributing to nation building. It also wishes to diversify into new businesses in sectors, such as financial services, agriculture and retail business with world-class partners in order to lay the foundation for creating a conglomerate of the future.
On keenly inspecting the goals and objectives of Airtel, one can identify that they have been achieving them to a certain extent. Considering the objective of diversification into new business, Airtel has been accessing to such business sectors. For example, they are now engaging financial services in India through telephony services. Acquisitions of Airtel throughout the world stand testimony to the fact that Airtel has created a solid foundation for tomorrow. The above-mentioned core values of Airtel are the force behind the company’s success.
Most Trusted & Preferred
Airtel, a brand that identified “Brand Preference by Trust & Innovation” as one of the means to reach out more effectively to its customers, rolled out its ‘Express Yourself’ campaign, which created a stir in the industry. The campaign added a new meaning to mobile communication, which helped Airtel move from the cellular industry clichés to more effective approach to both users, as well as potential users. The new approach by Airtel was recognized by the marketing and communication community that lead to them winning several accolades and mentions in different forums. It is by virtue of its brand preference initiatives that Airtel is one of the best brand across the world.
Airtel’s signature tune is unforgettable. Composed by A R Rahman, it remains the most downloaded tune for ringtones till date, thus making Airtel one of India’s most visible brands in most parts of the nation through television, print and various other forms of advertising and marketing campaigns.
The company had also roped in Sachin Tendulkar as its brand ambassador. This partnership led to the popularity of the brand, and gave it an edge over others. Airtel’s strategic intent has made it a company that is admired globally.
HIGHLIGHTS
- At the end of the quarter ended June 2012, the Company had over 250 million mobile subscribers across its operations, representing 13% Y-o-Y growth.
- Bharti Airtel won the QuEST Forum India Quality Award for the Top Telecom Service Provider in 2012-13.
- Bharti Airtel won 5 awards at the Telecom Operator Awards 2012, announced in March 2012 by Tele.net. Airtel was awarded the ‘Best National Mobile Operator’, ‘Best VAS Provider’, ‘Best Enterprise Services Provider’, ‘Best Ad Campaign by an Operator’ and ‘Most innovative Solution’ for Airtel money.