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BANGALORE:Airtel has increased its market
share in Karnataka from 32 per cent to 38
per cent, adding 2.2 million customers to
its network in 2006-07. This accounts for
48 per cent of the total population going
mobile in the State during this period.
To keep pace with the growing network, Airtel
is strengthening its distribution network.
It
plans to increase the number of distributors from 600 as of 31st March 2007 to
1400 in a year's time. Retail outlets are to increase from 47,000 to 60,000. The
company plans to go the ‘ITC way’ and have even the small ’paan
and cigarette shop’ sell their recharge cards, which will bring up the current
numbers from 1800 to 8000 this fiscal. Airtel’s
Karnataka operations have the largest subscriber base among all the circles and
players in India, announced Deepak Mehrotra who has been promoted to Director
– south this April from CEO, Karnataka circle. Airtel
covers more than 75 per cent of the overall population in Karnataka. This includes
99.7 per cent coverage of the urban population and 61.3 per cent of the rural
population. Airtel currently covers about 5500 out of 5682 gram panchayats, a
97 per cent coverage. Presently, it covers 2250 Km (90 Per cent) of the Highways
and 1425 Km (89 Per cent) of railroads in Karnataka. This coverage will touch
100 per cent in the coming year, according to the official release. | 
Karnataka
and Andhra Pradesh, along with Bihar, MP, UP and Maharashtra will share a major
chunk of the proposed spends of $ 3.3 to 3.5 billion this year, since Airtel plans
to focus on these circles.
