Sunil Mittal's Rs 959000 crore Airtel leaves behind Mukesh Ambani's Jio, becomes 1st private telco to...

Mukesh Ambani and Sunil Mittal run the top two telecom companies in India, i.e. Jio and Airtel. While Jio has the most users in the country, Airtel has the second most subscribers, followed by Vi and BSNL. However, Airtel has left behind  Jio in becoming the first private telecom operator to launch mobile services in around seven border villages of Kupwara, Baramulla and Bandipore districts of Jammu and Kashmir, the company said on Wednesday.

Under the Vibrant Village Programme, Airtel has connected villages such as Kachhal, Balbir, Razdan Pass, Taya Top, Ustad, Kathi, and Cheema to the rest of the country. "These villages are located in the Keran, Machhal, Tangdhar, Gurez, and Uri valley regions, spanning the three districts of Kupwara, Baramulla, and Bandipore. Airtel is the only private telecom operator providing its services in these regions," Bharti Airtel said in a statement.

Billionaire Sunil Mittal runs Airtel as chairman. He is among the richest Indians with a net worth of USD 12 billion, as per Forbes. His Airtel has a market cap is Rs 9.59 lakh crore. Bharti Airtel has partnered with the Indian Army to bring connectivity to villages in Kupwara, Baramulla and Bandipore districts along the Line of Control in North Kashmir," the company said in a statement.

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The company has deployed 15 mobile towers in this area, which will benefit the local population and will also offer essential communication connections for soldiers stationed along the Line of Control. Airtel has collaborated with the Indian Army to improve network services and enhance connectivity in remote areas of military bases.

Recently, the company has successfully established connectivity in the Galwan River region and Daulat Beg Oldie (BDO), which is recognised as India's northernmost military outpost. Union Minister Jyotiraditya Scindia on several occasions has said that all nooks and corners of the country will get telecom connectivity by June 2025.

(With inputs from PTI)