Aircel enters Himachal

Aircel Ltd on Wednesday launched its mobile services in Himachal Pradesh, becoming the seventh player to enter the state's crowded market.

"Aircel will soon cover more than 75 towns and over 500 km of highways. Its initial rollout will be completed with the setting up of 150 BTS sites," said Jagdish Kini, chief executive officer of the Aircel group, here.

"By the end of next year, we plan to provide mobile services in all the twelve districts of the state and capture 15 per cent of the growing market, which is registering an annual growth rate of 60,000 mobile connections," Kini claimed.

Company officials say Himachal Pradesh is the eighth state to have Aircel facilities and in Bihar services will be launched in a couple of days.

Asked about the reason for entering such a crowded market like Himachal, Kini said, "Himachal is going to be a critical test for us as it will hone our skills before we launch our services in 14 circles and go 'pan India' for which a nod is expected by the Centre."

"One of the advantages of entering late in the mobile market is the access to the latest technology. Currently, we are the only mobile provider in the country to give 100 per cent edge-enabled network in the country," he said.

"Himachal has a high penetration of mobiles and stiff competition, which is very challenging and exciting for Aircel," said Rohit Chandra, CEO of North and East Zone.

"We plan to open 1,500 outlets in the state and a local call centre to meet the cultural needs of the hill folk," he added.