Aircel to boost coverage in Kolkata circle

Aircel will continue to strengthen its network coverage in the Kolkata circle, a top official of the telecom operator said today.
Asserting that it was going to stay in the market, Aircel Kolkata Circle head Amitabh Akhouri said new tariff plans will help the company jack up its customer base and average revenue per user (ARPU).
"We will continue to strengthen our 3G network in the city. Currently, our coverage is about 90 per cent but the plan is for complete coverage, and the same has nothing to do with some negative news and rumours floating around," Akhouri told PTI.

Rating agency CARE had recently downgraded Aircel's long-term bank facilities a default (D) grade for delays in repayments.
The proposed merger between Reliance Communications and Aircel falling apart was also not taken well by the market.
"If we are comparing year-on-year, our customer base remains flat. But, in the last two to three months, we are seeing some good traction in average revenue," Akhouri said.

"We are close to breakeven and confident we will be in profits in FY18," he said.
Aircel's new voucher of Rs 93, with 20 paise per minute of local and STD for 12 months, is the best offer in the circle, the company claimed.

It has also introduced other plans to woo new customers and boost usage among the existing customer base of about 47 lakh.
Asked about 4G plans, Akhouri said the company was evaluating its options and working on launching 4G services in the market.