"We have nine million customers and by the end of this year, the number is expected to touch 11-12 million. In the next two years, the number of subscribers is expected to touch 25 million," chairman and group managing director of Bharti Enterprises Sunil Bharti Mittal said on Tuesday.
The new customer additions by the company will come from expansion in new circles and towns. Bharti has so far covered 2000 towns in India. "Before summer our coverage will expand to 5,000 towns," he said.
Mittal said the company will roll out services in Orissa and Bihar by this month-end or early next month and services in Assam and other parts of northeast will be rolled out by March 2005.
After rolling out services in the northeast and Assam, Bharti's coverage will expand to all 23 circles in India. "Our next phase of growth will come from expansion in remote areas and highways that have not been covered. We will move into towns with 20,000 population," Mittal said.
"We have so far covered 26 per cent of the country and by March, 40 per cent will be covered. We will set up 5,000 new base stations this year to take the total to 10,000," he said.
The company recently hired 3,000 professionals to take the total to 8,000 to keep up with the growth. Around 8,000 more people are working with partners on the company's projects.