Airtel expands with AI data centres and high-altitude network, shares rise 


Bharti Airtel marked two significant expansions on November 6, with its subsidiary Nxtra becoming India’s first AI-powered data centre operator and the company extending mobile connectivity to strategic military outposts along the Indo-China border.

The shares of Bharti Airtel Limited were trading at ₹1,591.60 up by ₹13.20 or 0.84 per cent on the NSE today at 3 pm.

Nxtra by Airtel has implemented AI technology in its Chennai data center through partnership with Ecolibrium’s SmartSense platform, and is also planning to extend this across all its core facilities. The company aims to achieve a 10 per cent increase in asset life, 10 per cent reduction in non-IT power consumption, and 15 per cent improvement in equipment performance through AI-driven analytics and maintenance.

Simultaneously, Airtel became the only private telecom provider operating at 16,700 feet above sea level, installing 17 mobile towers across Kargil, Siachen, Galwan, Daulat Beg Oldie (DBO), and Changthang regions in Ladakh. The network deployment, executed in collaboration with Leh Signalers, connects remote villages and military outposts along the northeastern corner of the Karakoram Range.

Nxtra, which currently operates data centers across 120+ locations, plans to double its capacity to over 400 MW in the coming years. The company has committed to achieving net-zero emissions by 2031 through green energy adoption and sustainable practices.