India’s largest private communication service provider, across all types of licensed communication services, Bharti Cellular Ltd, slipped to the 16th position despite a 33.1 percent growth in gross revenue. All thanks to the impressive growth recorded by most carrier infrastructure companies.

Bharti Cellular recorded a gross billed revenue of Rs 471.48 crore, out of which an estimated Rs 388 crore was its net revenue, after the service tax and the pass throughs (on account of roaming and BSNL/MTNL access charges). The subscriber base of the company grew by an impressive 78 percent to reach 3.28 lakhs by March 2001 (the highest in the country). It was an eventful year otherwise, too. While the fanfare introduction of WAP services received a disappointing response, SMS usage grew by more than 100 percent. Bharti Cellular also launched massive advertising campaigns - it aired the AirTel (the brand common to its services in all circles and Delhi) campaign on primetime television slots. Though the quality of service came under some strain due to increased subscriber loading, AirTel managed to keep it at a satisfactory level. Customer service, however, suffered badly, with call centers getting heavily loaded.

The MTNL challenge came as a mere walkover for Bharti as the former completely failed to market its service. However, with a fourth operator coming in and Hutchison preparing to give it a tough fight, this year will be testing time for Bharti Cellular.