Airtel achieves 74% reduction in emissions per terabyte on its network

Outlines 360 degree Sustainability Vision and key achievements for India operations in its India Sustainability Report 2016

• 10.36 Mn litres of diesel saved in network infrastructure, data centre and facilities operations
• One Billion sheets of paper saved through Airtel’s e-bill initiative since FY 2011-12
• Rolled out 87,000 sites during the last FY under Project Leap; Airtel’s network covers over 95% of India’s population
• Established complete network transparency with its ‘Open Network’ initiative that has made public all network details to customers and invited feedback to make it better
• Benefited over 85,000 underprivileged children in rural India by supporting Satya Bharti School program; also benefited over 12,700 rural households through free construction of toilets in each home

New Delhi, November 14, 2016: In line with its agenda of building a sustainable business with responsibility towards all stakeholders and local communities, Bharti Airtel (“Airtel”), India’s largest telecommunications services provider, released the latest edition of its India Sustainability Report.

Airtel’s India Sustainability Report 2016 offers a comprehensive overview of the company’s sustainability initiatives and future vision, taking into cognizance both social and environmental aspects. It also offers detailed insights into how the company successfully leveraged its wide network & distribution, based on accessibility and affordable services that has contributed significantly towards societal empowerment and company’s ecofriendly initiatives.

Gopal Vittal, MD & CEO (India & South Asia), Bharti Airtel said: “Building a sustainable organisation of the future with high standards of governance and corporate citizenship is at the core of our growth strategy. We have undertaken initiatives across the organization to build a 360 degree sustainability agenda and the results over the past few years have been very encouraging. We have also outlined a clear sustainability vision for the future and will continue to build on the positive start we have made.”

Key highlights of Airtel’s sustainability initiatives

Green Initiatives  

• 74% reduction in CO2 emissions across network infrastructure in the last five years and 27% reduction in the last financial year.
• The company has saved around 70Mn sheets of paper from FY 2015 and over one billion sheets of paper since FY 2011-12 through a paperless billing initiative. Over the last one year, the company has also seen a 24% increase in number of customers opting for paperless bills.
• The company has saved around 1490 MWh of energy and saved over 10.36 Mn litres of diesel across network infrastructure, data centre and facilities operations, all through its green initiatives.

Customer/Partner Initiatives

• Airtel’s network touches over 95% Indian population with presence across 7, 885 census towns and 779, 919 census and non-census villages. 
• The company launched India’s first Open Network, making the entire network information including coverage site details and signal strength, available to customers.
• The company has reported 26% reduction in customer complaints over the past two years.
• Airtel has 90% India based suppliers with over 83% local procurement thereby driving local economy.

Community Initiatives

• The company’s support to over 254 Satya Bharti School program, 498 learning centers and Quality support programmes has benefitted over 85,100 underprivileged children in rural India, impacting 150,000 underprivileged children cumulatively. Over 14,000 children who benefitted from this educational outreach programme have been reallocated to Government schools.
• The company pledged its support to government’s Swach Bharat Abhiyaan by construction of free toilets in over 12,700 rural households under the Satya Bharti Abhiyan, benefitting over 63,000 users across rural Ludhiana.

Commitments

• The company aims to reduce CO2 emissions by 70% per unit basis in the next three years.
• The company is targeting deployment of over 160, 000 base stations in the next three years to the drive the agenda of digital inclusion and improving customer experience and accessibility.
• Self-regulation: The company will contribute INR 100,000 for every 0.01% increase in call drop rate beyond 1.5% / month against the TRAI prescribed limit of 2%. The amount will be contributed towards education of the under privileged.

To view/download Airtel’s India Sustainability Report 2016: http://www.airtel.in/sustainability-file/common/files/25978_Airtel_Sustainability%20Report_2016.pdf

About Bharti Airtel
Bharti Airtel Limited is a leading global telecommunications company with operations in 18 countries across Asia and Africa. Headquartered in New Delhi, India, the company ranks amongst the top 3 mobile service providers globally in terms of subscribers. In India, the company's product offerings include 2G, 3G and 4G wireless services, mobile commerce, fixed line services, high speed DSL broadband, DTH, enterprise services including national & international long distance services to carriers. In the rest of the geographies, it offers 2G, 3G and 4G wireless services and mobile commerce. Bharti Airtel had over 359 million customers across its operations at the end of August 2016. To know more please visit, www.airtel.in