With the advancement of technology, we have also seen a rise in the number of crimes committed using this very thing. It seems that the instances of cybercrime have risen quite a bit, as Bharti Airtel’s CEO, Gopal Vittal, has mentioned that users need to be wary of cyber crimes and be safe. In an open letter meant for the telco’s 307 million subscribers, Mr Vittal explained how Bharti Airtel has been carrying out home delivery of SIM cards, cautioning them against cyber fraud. He also felt that with telecom being such an important sector, home delivery of SIMs would ensure the safety of the individual without affecting access to the same.
Airtel Investing Heavily to Enhance Network Capacity
Apart from this, he mentioned that the company had invested Rs 38,000 crore in the spectrum and network capacity so as to make sure that customers remain connected in the time of a global pandemic. Vittal said that Bharti Airtel had made an investment of over Rs 18,000 crore meant for procurement of spectrum that will help it improve indoor coverage in the upcoming months. Adding to this, he said that Airtel had invested an additional Rs 20,000 crore in a bid to enhance the company’s network capacity so that the user’s experience is improved despite higher consumption. Vittal also mentioned that the telco’s investments are expected to keep the data available to the dependent user at a time when a wireless communication surge has occurred in India as a result of offices announcing work from home. In the period of last year, which saw covid wreak havoc, telecom networks witnessed a surge of 33% in overall data consumption, forcing the telcos to add infrastructure to their networks and offer fibre-based home connections. During the second wave of Covid, the demand for mobile data network has risen 10-15%, and fixed-line broadband demand has risen up to 50-60%. In response to this, tower firms and telcos also boosted their infrastructure by deploying over 69,000 new mobile towers during the February 2020- April 2021 period as per TAIPA (Tower and Infrastructure Providers Association) The top three telcos of India, namely Reliance Jio, Airtel, and Vodafone Idea, invested around Rs 9,000 crore in network infra expansion after the first strike of Covid-19. This, in turn, ensured preparation for a situation like the one occurring now, with a second wave having much more severe implications.
