Honest 836 Report post Posted June 3, 2008 Airtel launches Kannada handsets, plans to grow rural market 3 Jun, 2008, 1656 hrs IST, PTI BANGALORE: Cellular service provider, Bharti Airtel Limited, today announced the launch of Kannada handsets and a strategic tie up with Indian Fertilizer Cooperative Limited (IFFCO). This is as part of its marketing strategy to cover 90 percent of Karnataka's population by 2009 and to achieve deeper rural penetration, Venkatesh V, CEO, Mobile Services, Bharti Airtel, Karnataka, said. Announcing its `Grameena Mobile Kranthi' campaign, he said that the next wave of explosive cellular growth in the state is expected to ensue in rural Karnataka. Even though Karnataka has 17 million mobile users in general, the number of rural mobile users in the state was just five million, accounting for just 13 percent of penetration in rural market. As part of the campaign to expand subsrciber base and focus on developing the rural market, Airtel has partnered with Nokia to come up with two handsets that would have the menu and sms facilities in Kannada. The Nokia monochrome 1200 model would be available at Rs 1272 while the Nokia 1208 colour handset would be available at Rs 1560. The handsets would come along with a free Airtel mobile connection and recharge of Rs 295, lifetime validity and local calling rates at Re one per minute and STD charges at Rs 1.50 per minute, he said. Airtel has also tiedup with IFFCO, one of the largest organisation of cooperatives to help farmers make the most use of mobile telephone. Through the tie up farmers would receive five voice messages free daily giving information on market rates, weather and other agricultural inputs, said Govindrajan, Head, South India, IFFCO. Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Honest 836 Report post Posted June 20, 2008 Airtel enters into a strategic tie-up with IFFCO 20 Jun, 2008, 1741 hrs IST, PTI HYDERABAD: Airtel has entered into a strategic tie up with the Indian Farmers' Fertiliser Co-operative Limited (IFFCO) and formed a new joint venture company called IFFCO Kisan Sanchar Limited (IKSL). This joint venture company will harness the power of telecom to empower the rural farmer by giving him access of vital market information at his fingertips. IKSL will offer products and services, especially designed for farmers, through IFFCO societies in villages across the state. On offer will be affordable mobile handsets bundled with an Airtel mobile connections. The farmers will also get access to a unique VAS platform that will broadcast five free voice messages on mandi prices, farming techniques, weather forecasts, dairy farming, animal husbandry, among others on a daily basis. "In addition, farmers will be able to call a dedicated helpline manned by experts from various fields, to get answers to their specific queries," Elango T, CEO, Bharti Airtel, Andhra Pradesh told reporters here today. Sharing the details of IKSL, R V S Bhullar, COO-IKSL, IFFCO Kisan Sanchar Ltd said, "This is a unique venture to strengthen the cooperative movement in rural India, to empower the farmers through information, to boost the rural economy, and also to create rural employment." K somesekhar Rao, Director-IFFCO, said, "IFFCO is an organisation of the farmers and for the farmers and works on the model of cooperatives. We feel there is a great opportunity in telecom sector going to rural India to create new business opportunities for the cooperatives where farmers are the key stakeholders." Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Honest 836 Report post Posted August 6, 2008 Bharti Airtel launches campaign for rural market 6 Aug, 2008, 2300 hrs IST, PTI CHENNAI: Mobile service provider Bharti Airtel Ltd on Wednesday unveiled the "Grameen Mobile Puratchi" campaign for the rural market. "After doing a pilot study in January this year, we are formally inaugurating the campaign in Tamil Nadu" Bharti Airtel Ltd Chief Executive Officer (Mobile Services) Tamil Nadu region Rajiv Rajagopal said. At a press conference here, he said "the campaign, which is being launched at the National level in 14 states, will target the rural areas for wider penetration". Some states that will come under the campaign are Andhra Pradesh, Uttar Pradesh, Punjab, Haryana, Himachal Pradesh, Bihar, Jharkhand, West Bengal and Chandigarh, Rajagopal said. The telecom company has tied up with Indian Farmers Fertiliser Cooperative Ltd (IFFCO) and formally inaugurated the campaign under the IFFCO Kisan Sanchar Ltd (IKSL),he said. Bharti Airtel Ltd Chief Operating Officer (Mobile Services) Tamil Nadu, Anirban Ghosh said that there are 27 million mobile users in the state out of which seven million hail from rural market. This scheme would benefit more than 45 lakh society members of IKSL, he said and added that farmers would have five free Value Added Services under this scheme. "The farmers will have five free voice messages on mandi prices, farming techniques, weather forecasts, dairy farming, animal husbandry, rural health initiatives on a daily basis",he said Apart from this they would also be able to call a helpline, 534351 for any queries. The pack for farmers ranges between Rs 1,299 and Rs 4,000 along with the mobile phone, he said. Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
