Airtel keen on full footprint of sub-GHz spectrum, says Gopal Vittal

Bharti Airtel is keen on a “full footprint” of sub-GHz radiowaves across the country to boost coverage indoors and in rural areas, as it pursues an optimised spectrum strategy that balances renewal and capacity needs, CEO Gopal Vittal said on Thursday.

Speaking at an investor call after announcement of a strong set of Q3 numbers by Bharti Airtel, Vittal said the company has always been of the view that device subsidy game per se is value destructive, especially at the lower end of the market.

To deal with strategies around device subsidy on smartphones by rivals, the company would deploy different levers to ensure it remains value accretive and competitive in the marketplace, he added.