Sunil Mittal, chairman, Bharti Airtel has urged governments and regulators to introduce incentives that encourage telecom operators to expand coverage in rural areas. He emphasised the need for collaboration between terrestrial and satellite operators to bridge connectivity gaps in remote regions.
Mittal recently stated that the Bharti Group strongly supports shared satellite spectrum allocation for rural and hard-to-reach areas. At the same time, he has called on the Indian government and telecom regulator to establish a fair policy for allocating satcom spectrum in urban areas, ensuring a level playing field for terrestrial operators.
Speaking at Mobile World Congress (MWC) 2025, Mittal pointed out that telecom companies have prioritised urban, high-revenue markets, often neglecting rural areas where mobile broadband access is critically needed. Instead of competing against one another, he urged operators to collaborate and address these disparities collectively.
Further, he appealed to telecom regulators to lower taxes and ensure affordable spectrum pricing. Highlighting industry challenges, Mittal noted that while revenue growth in the sector remains around 2 per cent annually, telecom companies are continually required to invest in costly spectrum acquisitions, contributing to an estimated $200 billion in capital expenditure every year.
