Bharti Airtel launches its services in Sri Lanka slashing tariff rates
Bharti Airtel launched its services in Sri Lanka this morning Monday the12th becoming the fifth cellular player in the island nation with 200 million dollar investment and concessionary tariff package of totally incoming free and out going Rs. 2.50 per minute A top official of the company said .
The CEO of Airtel Amalie Nanayakkra told a media conference that it was the largest investment of India in Sri Lanka and they have slashed tariff rates and are offering discounts for cellular connections. She added that Rs. 2.00 will be charged for outgoing calls till 31st of this month and after that it will be Rs.2.50. The monthly rental of the Air tel package is Rs. 600.00 and Rs.1.00 for SMS . She disclosed that 50% of their total investment has already been committed. The company has enrolled nearly 2,000 employees.
Airtel, India's largest telecom player, is already covering five provinces in the island and its services in Uva and North Central provinces will be launched in the first quarter of this year.
Airtel, the latest mobile phone service to hit the Sri Lanka market, on Monday opened its launch by offering a free ‘Sim’ card to all those who apply for the service, and immediately set off a price war with competitors.
With hundreds of Sri Lankans queuing outside the Airtel headquarters at Narahenpita, Colombo, in recent days to register for the service, there has been excitement plus competitive concern over the entry of the first new mobile player in more than a decade. Industry analysts said there hasn’t been a new mobile company in this period apart from changes within the industry like Celtel changing its name to Tigo, for example.
Bharti Airtel Lanka (Airtel), the Sri Lankan arm of the leading Indian mobile operator which announced its entry with the greeting ‘Hello Sri Lanka” by Indian superstar Shah Rukh Khan in newspaper, radio and TV advertisements, said in full-page newspaper ads headlined ‘Thank you Sri Lanka” taken out on Monday that anyone could walk into a Airtel retail outlet between January 12 and 25 and collect a free Sim card. “The connection will be activated on a recharge of Rs 100 and customers will receive a talk-time bonus of Rs 100 within 48 hours,” it said.
The entry also rejuvenated the mobile phone industry with others running their own ads promoting their product. Dialog, the country’s market leader, said in a full page ad titled ‘Namaste’ India’ that IDD calls to any Indian mobile or fixed phone was available at Rs 10 per minute. Tigo said it had reached two million customers in two years and offered 30% off on an additional Sim card. Hutch was offering a double reload for the price of a single reload. “The price war has begun. This is good for the consumer,” an industry analyst. The current size of the market is eight million mobile phones and seen expanding by another million in the next few weeks with the Airtel entry.
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SriLankaNewsFirst.com