Telecom giant Airtel (Bharti Airtel) has expanded its Wi-Fi service to an additional 2.9 million households in Madhya Pradesh and Chhattisgarh, according to the company’s exchange filing on Thursday. Additionally, the company has increased its reach to 1 million new households in Bihar and Jharkhand, as stated in the filing.
Wi-Fi, a wireless networking technology, enables devices such as computers, mobile devices, and other equipment like printers and video cameras to connect to the Internet. The company is actively working to broaden its telecom user base in the country. On July 29 of the previous month, Airtel announced the commencement of re-farming its existing mid-band spectrum to meet the surging demand on its 5G network.
The exchange filing revealed that Airtel is reallocating its mid-band spectrum to enhance 5G services across the 1800, 2100, and 2300 MHz bands nationwide. Telecom companies are observing an increase in customers switching to 5G services. Ritesh Agarwal, CEO of Madhya Pradesh and Chhattisgarh at Bharti Airtel, commented on the expansion: “With Airtel Wi-Fi, customers can access a vast array of entertainment options, including over 20 OTT platforms, more than 350 television channels, and a dependable high-speed wireless Wi-Fi service, with tariffs starting at just Rs. 699 per month. We hope our customers will take full advantage of this and enjoy endless entertainment.” Similarly, Sujay Chakrabarti, CEO of Bihar and Jharkhand at Bharti Airtel, expressed, “I am delighted to announce that Airtel Wi-Fi is now available in every corner of Bihar and Jharkhand. We look forward to our customers enjoying endless entertainment.”
According to the report, customers in Bihar and Jharkhand will have unlimited access to leading English and Hindi OTT platforms, including Netflix, Amazon Prime, Disney+ Hotstar, SonyLIV, as well as popular channels such as Star Plus, Sony, and Zee TV. In June, the company was involved in the 5G service auction conducted by the Ministry of Communication.
Additionally, in the same month, the company implemented a price increase for all its prepaid and postpaid plans. During the rate increase announcement, the company stated that the mobile Average Revenue Per User (ARPU) should be over Rs 300 to sustain a financially viable business model for telecom companies in India.
