Country's largest mobile operator Bharti Airtel has announced its strategic tie-up with SKS Microfinance, a non banking company, to make mobile telephony available and affordable for rural consumers.
Airtel's initiative, Grameena Mobile Kranthi, is aimed at enabling every individual in rural India to have tele-connectivity through mobile.
Addressing reporters jointly, Deepak Mehrotra, Executive Director, Bharti Airtel (south) and Vikram Akula, CEO of SKS Microsoft said that their aim is to reach 7.5 lakhs members of SKS in Andhra Pradesh.
"Telecom revolution has truly transformed India and we believe that its benefits must reach rural population," Mehrotra said.
He said that rural India contributes 54 per cent to the country's GDP and if India has to achieve double digit GDP growth rates then rural areas need to grow at a much faster rate. Rural telecom revolution will play a big role in this transformation, he added.
Sharing the details of the tie-up, Elango T, CEO, Mobile Services, Bharti Airtel, Andhra Pradesh, said, "In our journey of 'Grameena Mobile Kranthi', this tie-up will give us yet another opportunity to reach out to the rural masses, especially women, who have not yet embraced the mobile revolution."