Bharti Airtel may invest US$200-400mn to boost 3G, 4G infra

There has been marginal pressure on voice pricing in the July-September quarter and that the competitive intensity continues unabated, Vittal said.

Bharti Airtel may invest an additional US$200-400 million in the current fiscal year to ramp up 3G and 4G infrastructure.

“Our willingness to spend an additional US$200-400 million on capex during the course of this year. A large part of that capex would really be around expanding our footprint in 3G and 4G,” Bharti Airtel MD & CEO (India & South Asia) Gopal Vittal told analysts during a conference call on Monday.

Bharti Airtel had already announced a capital expenditure guidance of about US$3 billion for FY16.

"The investment actually goes to drive incremental revenue streams, which is around data but at the same time, it creates the capacity to unclog 2G networks," Vttal said on the call.

On the issue of call drops, Vittal said that the Bharti Airtel is working with the Government to address the problem.

Vittal also said that there has been marginal pressure on voice pricing in the July-September quarter and that the competitive intensity continues unabated.