India Telecom

AirTel intros multiple initiatives in Delhi

NEW DELHI -- AirTel - India's leading mobile service provider, recently announced a slew of initiatives, aimed at ensuring that the AirTel Delhi subscribers reap the benefits of Bharti's pan-India footprint that extends to 16 states today. The initiatives, effective August 16, 2002, include:

• Incoming calls from over 1.8 million AirTel subscribers across India to be absolutely free, for post-paid subscribers;
• No roaming airtime rates on post-paid; Delhi airtime rates to apply while roaming on AirTel networks; and
• Two new tariff plans with an in-built promise of free airtime.

Announcing the initiatives that are effective from Aug 16, 2002, Sarvjit S. Dhillon, CEO, AirTel Delhi and UP (West), said: "There are now more than 1.8 million AirTel subscribers in India and in Delhi, and a majority of mobile subscribers choose AirTel. This must translate into benefits for AirTel subscribers, which no one else can match. Our new initiatives promise exactly this: huge savings for our subscribers made possible because they belong to the largest mobile family in India."

Starting August 16, post-paid AirTel subscribers in Delhi will no longer have to pay for calls received from any other AirTel subscriber, in Delhi and across India. In effect, they will enjoy free incoming calls from more than 1.8 million AirTel subscribers across the country.

From August 16, AirTel's post-paid subscriber in Delhi will not pay a special roaming rate. This innovative service will allow all AirTel post-paid customers to carry their home rate (tariff plan applicable on their home network) when roaming in networks where AirTel is a mobile service provider. The service is unique to AirTel subscribers given the width and depth of the AirTel network that touches 16 states in India.

This service will be available in Mumbai, Himachal Pradesh, UP (West), Uttaranchal, Haryana, Punjab, Maharashtra, Madhya Pradesh, Chattisgarh, Gujarat, Kerala, and Tamil Nadu (excluding Chennai). The service would be available in Chennai, Andhra Pradesh, Karnataka and Kolkata shortly. All that subscribers need to do is to ensure that they log onto the AirTel network at the destination and stay on it to ensure that they enjoy huge savings on their roaming bills.

AirTel also introduced two new tariff plans effective from August 16. These subscription-based plans would provide customers the benefits of free outgoing and incoming calls. Designed to benefit heavy users, the plans address the needs of subscribers at two levels of usage. The new plans would apply from the subsequent billing cycle and would be available to all post-paid subscribers who choose to opt for them.