Jammu, November 17, 2025: Bharti Airtel (“Airtel”), one of India’s leading telecommunications service providers, today announced that it has expanded its network footprint to Man and Merak, two of the remotest villages located on the Eastern Border of Ladakh, near the world-famous Pangong Lake. With this milestone deployment, Airtel has become the only service provider to bring reliable mobile connectivity to this strategically significant and difficult-to-reach region.
Located along the stretch between Man and Merak villages on the eastern border of Ladakh, this area has long struggled with zero connectivity and no telecom network availability, leaving a vast corridor of approximately 50 km without coverage. High-speed network rollout in these villages marks a transformative moment, enabling residents, security forces, and tourists to stay connected in one of India’s toughest terrains.
With this deployment, the entire route between Chushul and Pangong Tso is connected, significantly boosting the tourism potential of this globally renowned destination.
“Connecting Man and Merak is a huge step forward in our mission to extend world-class digital access to India’s remotest regions,” said Dibyendu Aich, COO – Jammu and Kashmir, Bharti Airtel. “These sites will not only support the thousands of tourists visiting Pangong Lake every year but will also empower local communities by enabling essential services like digital payments, emergency connectivity, and access to everyday digital tools.”
Airtel’s continuous expansion in high-altitude and remote regions reflects its commitment to bridging the connectivity divide, strengthening India’s digital infrastructure, and offering reliable mobile services, even in the most challenging environments.
About Bharti Airtel:
Headquartered in India, Airtel is a global communications solutions provider with over 600 million customers in 15 countries across India and Africa. The company also has its presence in Bangladesh and Sri Lanka through its associate entities. The company ranks amongst the top three mobile operators globally and its networks cover over two billion people. Airtel is India’s largest integrated communications solutions provider and the second largest mobile operator in Africa. Airtel’s retail portfolio includes high-speed 4G/5G mobile, Wi-Fi (FTTH+ FWA) that promises speeds up to 1 Gbps with convergence across linear and on-demand entertainment, video streaming services, digital payments and financial services. For enterprise customers, Airtel offers a gamut of solutions that includes secure connectivity, cloud and data centre services, cyber security, IoT, and cloud-based communication. Airtel’s digital arm – Xtelify, empowers telcos globally to leverage the power of AI, data and technology to accelerate their digital transformation and drive growth. Xtelify also offers Airtel Cloud in India enabling enterprises with a sovereign, telco-grade cloud platform that guarantees secure migration, effortless scaling, lower costs and no vendor lock-ins. Within its diversified portfolio, Airtel also offers passive infrastructure services through its subsidiary Indus Tower Ltd. For more details visit www.airtel.com
