India’s leading telecom service provider, Bharti Airtel opened dits first ‘iServe’ centre in Ausarikurd, about 70 km from Pune. The company has idnetifed 4,000 such places across the state to set up rural kiosks.

“The aim is to have 1,700 centres operational by March this year while the remaining should be ready by August,” said Manu Talwar, chief executive officer, mobility (Maharashtra and Goa).

“The centres are aimed at penetration into the remote villages, offering rural customers enhanced network coverage at affordable rates,” he added.

He said that the primary aim through the centes was to serve as a one-stop shop for all mobile-related queries and provide various value-added services to those in the rural areas. “The service centres will benefit those who are not tech-savvy or familiar with SMS. Consumer queries are directly routed to trained agents who will specifically address their needs. Identification and training of entrepreneurs who run multi-brand outlets in suitable locations with easy access, is an important aspect of the initiative,” said Talwar.

He said the centres will also be equipped with photocopier machines to make the documentation process for the rural subscribers easier.