Airtel extends One Network roaming service to Asia

Bharti Airtel today introduced what it claims to be the world’s first intercontinental incoming roaming service that does not include an additional charge by including India, Bangladesh and Sri Lanka to its current bouquet of One Network services for its African customers. Airtel customers already avail this facility across the company’s mobile network in 17 countries across Africa.

Airtel customers in Africa will not need to register for the One Network service or buy new SIM cards as they will now be automatically provisioned as ‘citizens’ of Airtel’s borderless network across 20 countries in Africa and Asia. This offers opportunities to a base of 60 million Airtel customers in Africa to roam at affordable tariffs in India, Sri Lanka and Bangladesh. By offering free incoming calls whilst roaming, the service ups the ante for global telecom providers as the seamless service across continents is a world-first amongst mobile service providers.

Within 17 African countries, One Network also allows Airtel customers to use their local Airtel SIM cards whilst abroad, giving them access to attractive rates for calls made, access data, enjoy value added services and recharge using local top up vouchers in the country visited.