Airtel launches service in Sangla valley in Himachal

Bharti Airtel today launched its mobile services in one of the remotest and most inaccessible mountain areas of the country in Himachal Pradesh.

The scenic tribal Sangla valley in Kinnaur district lies some 250 km from here and borders Tibet. The region is home to the country's apple and chilgoza orchards besides being a destination for foreign and domestic adventure seeking travellers.

"The launch of the Airtel service will benefit locals, tourists and even the para-military and armed forces in this border area," said Bharti Airtel Chief (Himachal Pradesh) Sharlin Thayil here today.

"With this launch, Airtel has spread its network to over 55 towns and locations and some 7,000 villages across the hill state," Thayil said.

"For a ensuring a congestion free network, now the company has over 500 cell sites all over the state including those in some of the most inhospitable terrain of the country," he added.

He said the company would provide mobile services in the adjoining and equally remote Lahaul and Spiti region with the help of satellite technology and not towers. "We've also just started our edge enabled high speed internet service in Shimla, Baddi, Dharamsala and Mandi towns," he said.

In view of the poor internet services in the industrial town of Baddi, the company has started an ambitious 'Wiring up Baddi' project. "For the benefit of our customers, we have started bundle handset schemes to make available Nokia and Motorola handsets," he added.

With a customer base of 4.5 lakh Airtel claims to have over half the mobile customers in the state while Bharat Sanchar Nigam Ltd(BSNL) follows closely.Tata and Reliance are making quick inroads into this fast growing sector.