New Delhi, Dec 9 (IANS)

In order to expand and contribute towards the digital inclusion drive in Punjab, Bharti Airtel will invest over Rs.4,000 crore in the next five years, a company statement said here Monday.

Airtel and the Punjab government Monday signed an agreement on the sidelines of the Progressive Punjab Investors Summit, under which Airtel will take its high speed 4G LTE services to all towns and villages across the state.

As part of the agreement, the company will lay an additional 10,000 km of optic fiber cables across Punjab and expand its 4G footprints to cover most of the state’s population over the next few years. This will provide a major boost to growth of broadband services in rural areas and enable delivery of services such e-governance, e-education and e-health, the statement said.

The company hopes this will provide fillip to the growth of the digital economy in the state and support businesses as well as the government.

“Just like the mobile phone connected millions across Punjab, this high speed data connectivity initiative will further empower people with information and services available at the touch of a screen. I am confident that this initiative will make Punjab a model State for rest of the country,” Sunil Bharti Mittal, chairman and group chief executive officer, Bharti Enterprises, said.

The company will also invest in its existing 2G mobile operations, Wire-line & DSL Broadband, DTH services, M-Commerce Services offering in the State. It will also expand its Enterprise Services offerings that provide end-to-end technology solutions to corporates and small and medium entreprises.