Sunil Bharti Mittal Says India Has a Strong Connectivity Base and Needs One Million Mobile Base Stations

Sunil Bharti Mittal says India has built a strong foundation for connectivity and should aim to build one million mobile base stations. In an interview with The Economic Times, the Bharti Enterprises chairman cited 350,000 base stations and called for more investment in the infrastructure that supports India’s digital economy.

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He also pointed to fibre, submarine cables and satellite connectivity as areas where India needs to keep building.

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Mittal Makes the Case for More Network Investment

Mittal laid out his view while discussing whether mobile tariffs in India could stay low. He said the country needs a financially healthy telecom industry to sustain the investment required to expand its networks.

He pointed to two recurring demands on operators’ finances. They spend on capital expenditure every year and pay for spectrum at auctions that can cost tens of thousands of crores.

He also questioned how much EBITDA margins alone reveal about a telecom company’s health.

His point was that operators commit a significant part of what they earn to capital expenditure.

Separately, when discussing Airtel’s plans, he said about Rs 30,000 crore in capital expenditure goes into its regular business, including towers, fibre, the wider network and IT.

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Fibre, Submarine Cables and Satellites Also Have a Role

Mittal’s case for investing in connectivity extended beyond mobile base stations. He said India needs submarine cables and space connectivity alongside its terrestrial networks.

In a separate part of the interview, he described satellite connectivity as complementary to ground networks and said he could see satellite providers working with local telecom operators in India.

Also Read: Airtel Builds Agent Bridge, Its In-House AI Platform, and Adds GPU Capacity

Mittal Links Low Tariffs to the Ability to Invest

Mittal said his stated objective for India was Rs 350 in ARPU. In his view, India would still be at the low end globally even at that level.

He also argued that operators could charge more for unlimited plans while keeping lower-priced options affordable for customers who need them.

He pointed to competition as a factor limiting how far any one operator can move on pricing.

Mittal described connectivity as a strong foundation for India as technology becomes more important.

His call for one million base stations puts a number on the scale of mobile network expansion he wants to see.

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FAQs

What did Sunil Bharti Mittal say about India's mobile network infrastructure?

Sunil Bharti Mittal said India should build one million mobile base stations to strengthen connectivity infrastructure and support the country's growing digital economy.

How many mobile base stations does India currently have?

According to Mittal, India has about 350,000 mobile base stations, highlighting scope for further network expansion.

Why does Sunil Bharti Mittal want India to build one million mobile base stations?

Mittal believes additional mobile base stations will improve network infrastructure and support India's growing connectivity needs as digital services and technology adoption rise.

How much does Airtel spend on regular capital expenditure?

Sunil Bharti Mittal said Airtel spends approximately Rs 30,000 crore on business capital expenditure covering towers, fibre, network infrastructure, and IT.

What is Sunil Bharti Mittal's ARPU target for India?

Mittal said his objective is to achieve an average revenue per user (ARPU) of Rs 350 in India. He believes this would still be low compared with global levels.

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