Airtel adopts a new number series for fixed line services

Company Release, December 7

MUMBAI

Airtel Broadband & Telephone Services, India's largest broadband service & the country's largest private telephone service from Bharti Tele-Ventures Ltd has adopted a new number series beginning with '4' for its fixed line services. This means that for existing customers, the first digit '5' has been changed to '4'. The change in numbering plan is consequent to DoT's directive on numbering plan for fixed line phones.

To make life simpler for its customers, Airtel has launched a new short code for general customer care – 121. This general customer care number is uniform across all circles of Airtel Broadband & Telephone Services. Customers can simply dial 121 from their Airtel telephone and get answers to all their queries including the ones on number change.

Announcing this, Mr K Krishnan, Executive Director, Airtel Broadband and Telephone Services , said, "In keeping with DoT's directive on numbering plan for fixed line phones, Airtel has undertaken a pan India operation to bring the number change into effect. We have already introduced a uniform short code for customer care, across the country such that customers can get answers to all their queries including the changed numbers. The short code is yet another step in our continued effort to ensure convenience & ease of access for our customers."

Airtel has more than 1 million fixed line customers in the country and provides broadband & telephone services in Andhra Pradesh, Delhi, Gujarat, Haryana, Karnataka, Kerala, Kolkata, Madhya Pradesh, Maharastra, Mumbai, Punjab, Tamil Nadu, UP (East) and UP (West).

Bharti Tele-Ventures is one of India's leading private sector provider of telecommunications services with an aggregate of 15.84 million customers as of end of October '05, consisting of approximately 14.74 million mobile customers. The company is the only operator to provide mobile services in all the 23 circles in India. The company also provides telephone services and Internet access over DSL in 15 circles. The company complements its mobile, broadband & telephone services with national and international long distance services.

The company also has a submarine cable landing station at Chennai, which connects the submarine cable connecting Chennai and Singapore. The company provides reliable end-to-end data and enterprise services to the corporate customers by leveraging its nationwide fiber optic backbone, last mile connectivity in fixed-line and mobile circles, VSATs, ISP and international bandwidth access through the gateways and landing station. For more information, visit www.bhartiteleventures.com

For further information, please contact:

Sampark Public Relations

Bakul Gala / Vikas Sahni

Tel: 9892200250 / 9892629404 / 2202 5550