Airtel becomes worlds 3rd largest operator

Bharti Airtel on Friday said its subscriber base has crossed the 100 million mark,making it the worlds third largest in-country mobile operator. The milestone makes every fourth mobile phone user in the country a customer of Bharti Airtel,founded in 1995 as Bharti Tele-Ventures.

The Indian telecom sector is seen as providing the most affordable services in the world has grown by leaps and bounds in the last decade. We are proud to have led the telecom revolution that made a positive impact on the lives of people in every corner of the country as well as the Indian economy, Bharti Airtel chairman Sunil Mittal said.

The companys equipment partners Ericsson and Nokia- Siemens and nearly 31 per cent equity partner Singtel were present on the occasion to mark the milestone. Besides 25 per cent subscriber share,Bharti Airtel enjoys 30 per cent market share in terms of revenue. Its only behind two Chinese operators in terms of subscriber size measured within a country.

In related news,Singapore Telecom,the 31 per cent stakeholder in Bharti Airtel,does not plan to raise its stake in the company as of now,the companys chairman said on Friday.