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Tag: Bharati Airtel

  • Broadband subscribers show growth of 4.5 per cent between Sept and Oct

    Broadband subscribers show growth of 4.5 per cent between Sept and Oct

    NEW DELHI: As in the past few months, the largest growth in broadband during October this year was among mobile devices users (phones and dongles), registering a growth of 5.75 per cent growth.

    The number of broadband subscribers between September and October has increased from 75.73 million to 79.21 million, thus registering an overall growth of 4.59 per cent.

     There was no change between September and October in fixed wireless subscribers (Wi-Fi, Wi-Max, Point-to-point radio and VSAT) with the figures remaining at 4,20,000.

     Wired subscriptions showed a minimal growth going up from 15.13 million to 15.15 million, registering a monthly growth rate of 0.16 per cent.

     The Telecom Regulatory Authority of India (TRAI) which based the figures on reports from service providers said Wireless subscribers with less than 1MB data usage in a month have not been considered as internet/broadband subscribers by Reliance Communication Group and Idea Cellular.

     As on 31 October, the top five Wired Broadband Service providers were BSNL (9.97 million), Bharti Airtel (1.40 million), MTNL (1.13 million), Beam Telecom (0.43 million) and YOU Broadband (0.41 million).

     The top five Wireless Broadband Service providers were Bharti Airtel (15.91 million), Vodafone (14.15 million), Idea Cellular (11.47 million), BSNL (9.16 million) and Reliance Communications Group (6.48 million).

     

  • Airtel launches ‘One Touch Internet’

    Airtel launches ‘One Touch Internet’

    MUMBAI: Bharti Airtel, the telecom service provider with operations in 20 countries across Asia and Africa, has announced the launch of ‘One Touch Internet’ – a first of its kind initiative aimed at simplifying internet services for millions of first-time users in India.

     Airtel’s ‘One Touch Internet’ is a WAP (Wireless Application Protocol) portal designed with a simple, secure and intuitive interface that will allow first-time users to discover the internet easily and help them overcome common perception barriers around the mobile data experience. Now available for prepaid mobile customers on Airtel – ‘One Touch Internet’ will work as a single point destination for uninitiated internet users to see-try-buy a host of popular services (including social networking, videos, online shopping and travel bookings) through free tutorial videos and trial packs – all with just one touch.

    Bharti Airtel consumer business director Srinivasan Gopalan said, “The Indian telecom market has entered a phase of data led growth. As data networks expand and internet enabled devices become affordable – more and more Indians are getting online on their mobile devices. However, our market research has shown that there are millions of customers across the country who own an internet-ready mobile device and are keen on getting online, but are apprehensive due to reasons like lack of know-how and fear of incurring heavy data charges. Airtel’s ‘One Touch Internet’ will address these very customer challenges and play the crucial role of hand-holding first-time mobile users as they discover the internet. We believe that this initiative can play a transformational role in breaking perception barriers among customers and demystifying the internet not only for the young and urban, but for people from across generations and social strata – thus giving the Indian masses an opportunity to enjoy their first ever internet experience”.

    The rapid penetration of mobile telephony has played a pivotal role in transforming the socio economic growth in countries world over, including India. According to estimates – India has over 220 million internet users today, of which, about 59 per cent get online over a mobile device. Projected to reach a whopping 385 million by 2017, the smartphone penetration in India is only growing stronger and contributing to a rapidly increasing base of internet users, which is expected to more than double to 480 million by 2017.

    To self-learn or have family and friends explain the internet to them easily, Airtel prepaid mobile customers can now call 111 or simply visit http://one.airtel.in on their mobile phones’ web browsers. Currently available in English and Hindi, ‘One Touch Internet’ will soon also be available in 8 Indian vernacular languages in weeks to come.

     To promote the launch of ‘One Touch Internet’, Airtel is also launching a full-blown 360 brand campaign. The insight for its Television Commercial (TVC) film comes from the brand’s core territory of enabling relationships, and evokes a strong emotional connect compelling viewers to teach someone how to discover the joys of the internet. The TVC will also be supported by a strong digital leg.

     

  • Airtel DTH services y-o-y growth 23%, EBIDTA up 226%, ARPU up 10% in Q4-2014

    Airtel DTH services y-o-y growth 23%, EBIDTA up 226%, ARPU up 10% in Q4-2014

    BENGALURU: Indian and international mobile services giant Bharati Airtel Limited’s DTH (Airtel DTH) services business total revenue has grown 23 per cent to Rs 541.5 crore in Q4-2014 as compared to the Rs 441.9 crore in the year ago quarter (Q4-2013).  During FY-2014, total revenue at Rs 2077.1 crore was 27 per cent more than the Rs 1629.4 crore in FY-2013.

     

    Airtel DTH has reported higher EBIDTA at Rs 96.3 crore in Q4-2014, 226 per cent more than the Rs 29.6 crore in Q4-2013. During the current financial year, EBIDTA was even higher (by 638 per cent) at Rs 333.8 crore as compared to the Rs 45.2 crore in FY-2013.

     

    Airtel DTH’s operating margin (EBIT) loss reduced by 38 per cent to Rs (-111.1) crore in Q4-2014 from Rs (-178.4) crore in Q4-2013. Over the year EBIT reduced by 41 per cent to Rs (-482.1) crore in FY-2014 from Rs (-810.5) crore in FY-2013.

     

    Capex at Rs 177.9 crore went up 34 per cent in Q4-2014 from Rs 132.6 crore y-o-y. However the company’s capex in FY-2014 was (-18) per cent lower at Rs 617 crore as compared to the Rs 754.8 crore in FY-2013.

     

    The company’s DTH business’s cumulative investments in Q4-2014 and FY-2014 went up 15 per cent to Rs 4646.8 crore from Rs 4036.6 crore in Q4-2013 and FY-2013.

     

    Airtel DTH q-o-q customer base went up 2 per cent in Q4-2014 to 90.12 lakhs from 88.07 lakhs, with net additions of 2.05 lakhs new subscribers during Q4-2014. This is (-13) per cent lower than the 235000 net additions the company had declared during Q4-2013. Y-o-y the customer base was 11 per cent more than the 81 lakhs subscribers in Q4-2014, but net new subscriptions during Q4-2014 was less by (-1) per cent than the 207000 net new subscriptions in Q4-2013.

     

    Average Revenue Per User (ARPU) in Q4-2014 has gone down (-2) per cent to Rs 203 in Q4-2014 as compared to the Rs 207 in the immediate trailing quarter, but was 10 per cent more than the Rs 184 in the year ago quarter (Q4-2013).

     

    Airtel DTH’s monthly churn was also higher at 0.9 per cent in Q4-2014 as compared to the 0.8 per cent in Q3-2014, but was lower than the 1.1 per cent in Q4-2013.

     

    It became the first DTH player in the country to showcase a feature film on the same day of its theatrical release with the showcase of Telugu movie ‘Minukumanna Minugurulu’ on its Pay Per View (PPV) platform.

     

    In line with company’s initiatives to associate with events, shows and initiatives that resonate well with the preferences of today’s India, Bharati Airtel co-sponsored the popular TV show ‘Satyamev Jayate’ again this year. The brand integration with the show included innovations like in-show calls on Airtel 3G and use of Airtel money for donations along with access to exclusive show content to customers.

     

    In an effort to provide a world-class experience to the customers, the company launched Airtel ‘Pocket TV’ – a mobile app which will enable customers to watch their favourite TV programs on the move while also being the first player to release a feature film on digital TV platform.

  • Airtel Digital TV services Q1-2014 losses halve as compared to Q1-2013

    Airtel Digital TV services Q1-2014 losses halve as compared to Q1-2013

    BENGALURU: Airtel’s Digital TV services business contributed Rs 490 crore or just 2.4 per cent to Bharati Airtel’s (Airtel) Q1-2014 total net revenues of Rs 20,2263 crore, but its loss for the quarter at Rs115.6 crore eroded the communications services major’s PAT of Rs1837.7 crore by 6.3 per cent.

     

    The loss for Q1-2014 of Rs115.6 crore by the Digital TV services business, was however almost half (51 per cent) of the loss of Rs 226.5 crore for Q1-2013 and about 65 per cent of the Rs 178.4 crore loss reported for Q4-2013. During FY-2013, Airtel’s Digital TV services business’s reported loss was Rs 810.5 crore.

     

    Consequently, its capital employed (segment’s assets minus segment’s losses) has eroded 34.5 per cent to Rs (-2.946.8) crore in Q1-2014 from Rs (-2,190.4) crore in Q1-2013 and by 4.7 per cent from Rs (-2,813.8) crore for Q4-2103.

     

    Revenues from Airtel’s Digital TV services business for Q1-2014 grew 34 per cent from Rs 365.8 crore in Q1-2013 to Rs 490 crore mentioned above and by 10.9 per cent as compared to Rs 441.9 crore reported for Q4-2013. During FY-2013, Airtel’s Digital TV services business had revenues of Rs1,629.5 crore.

     

    Airtel has reported a 14.2 per cent growth in its customer base for its Digital TV services from 7.4 million in Q1-2013 to 8.452 million in Q1-2014 and a 4.35 per cent growth from the 8.1 million reported for Q4-2013.

  • Airtel crosses 3 mn mobile subscribers in Karnataka

    BANGALORE: Bharati Airtel has announced that their total mobile subscriber base has crossed three million in Karnataka. With this they claim to be the circle with the largest portion in the Airtel all India subscriber pie of 25.89 million (to end July 2006).

    Airtel joint president-mobility Sanjay Kapoor said, “This equals Singapore’s subscriber base.” Karnataka has been the growth engine for Airtel disclosed Kapoor.

    Bangalore has a subscriber base of roughly 50 per cent of Airtel’s Karnataka mobile subscribers according to Airtel Karnataka CEO Deepak Mehrotra.

    Airtel continues to be Karnataka’s no. 1 mobile network in telephony, even beating BSNL mobile services. The only other entity that could match Airtel coverage in numbers and reach is the BSNL landline. Airtel now covers over 12,000 towns and villages in Karnataka, of which more than 11,000 towns and locations have a population of less than 5000. This includes 96 per cent of the gram panchayat area in the state, and covers 63 per cent of the population. Around 500,000 subscribers have been added over the last three months, a million over the last six, informs an official release.

    Airtel plans to expand the gram panchayat reach to 100 per cent by March 2007. Mehrotra revealed that Airtel has spent around Rs.14.35 billion capitalization to date in the state and another Rs.3.5 billion have been earmarked till end March 2007.

    Karnataka and the Andhra Pradesh circle which stands third after Delhi both contribute to more than 20 per cent of the all India subscribers in the Airtel kitty. While Punjab stands fourth with a subscriber base of around 2.4 million, adds Airtel Karnataka COO V Venkatesh.

    Airtel executive director -southern regional hub, mobility Atul Bindal revealed that the southern hub comprising of five circles has had the fastest growth in the number of subscribers in the country.