Airtel to add 150 network towers by end-2016

By Shabiya Ali Ahlam
Airtel Lanka yesterday shared its plans of expanding its network infrastructure, affirming its commitment to continue servicing the Sri Lankan market.
While the telco is operating amid speculation that it is looking to exit the local market, Airtel Lanka CEO Jinesh Hegde, who took up the role two months ago, told Mirror Business in a comprehensive interview that plans are underway to add new 150 network towers by end-2016.
“In September we added 30 sites (towers) and this month (October) we are adding 50 more. By December we hope to add another 100.
We are currently covering 90 percent of the nation’s population in terms of network, and this we are looking to expand further. To date we have invested US $ 40 million on towers and we will continue to do in the future,” shared Hegde.
The new chief added that rolling out more 3G sites is treated as a top priority by the telco. 
Airtel Lanka currently has about 1800 towers, of which 1300 are 3G sites. In the last two quarters of the 2014/15 financial year, the company has invested over Rs.1 billion on towers.
Earlier this week, Airtel also launched its newest customer offering, the ‘Smart Cache Technology’. 
The service, for which an official promotion campaign is yet to kick off, is expected to help Airtel consumers to download Internet 40 percent faster. 
“It typically takes the shortest path to fulfil a search criteria and that helps consumers enjoy improved download speed,” said Hegde while sharing the plans for the local space.
Focusing on data as the next wave of growth, Airtel stressed its single-minded focus is on Internet as it observed increasing Internet penetration, both in rural and urban areas.