Aritel is now focusing on consolidating its position in Karnataka. The company aims to cover 85% of population from the present 75% coverage.

Airtel Karnataka CEO said the market for mobile telephony had grown tremendously in North Karnataka and Belgaum in particular had a potential for wireless penetration.

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The CEO added that Airtel aims to expand coverage to more than 500 towns and villages in North Karnataka.

Aritel plans to ocver 90% of the population in the coming months in the districts of Belgaum and Bagalkot. The company will be adding 100 new network sites in Belgaum and Bagalkot.

The company will also increase its distribution strength in the region with an addition of about 8500 retail outlets and increasing the distributors to 300.

Airtel Karnataka recently recorded a subscriber base of 5 million. Targeted towards rural subscribers, it recently launched Kannada VAS portal enabling them to enjoy Value-Added Services in the language of their choice. It also offered a new handset bundle offer.