**Latest agreement sees Batelco partner with Bharti Airtel to expand its presence**

Batelco, keen on following its global expansion plans, has signed an agreement with Bharti Airtel Limited (“Airtel”), India’s leading operator and the third largest mobile services provider, with operations in 20 countries across Asia and Africa. This partnership follows Batelco’s announcement of its major plans to expand its global presence and solidify its global data offerings.

In an increasingly digital world with diversified business requirements, global organisations now place larger emphasis on resilient and reliable global data connectivity. In recognition of this trend, the Batelco-Airtel agreement will further support organisations with their multi-faceted world-wide connectivity requirements.

To drive its growth plans forward and provide exceptional value to its customers, Batelco stresses the importance of forming strategic partnerships with organisations that share a similar vision. In line with this, Batelco Chief Global Business Officer Adel Al-Daylami and Airtel Director & CEO Global Voice & Data Business, Ajay Chitkara, signed the agreement in the presence of officials from both organisations.

This new partnership between Batelco and Airtel will allow the two organisations to access each other’s networks thereby enabling them to extend their reach into newer markets. This will further reinforce Batelco’s positioning, especially in the Pan-Asian region, and will allow customers and carriers more access and reliability. Similarly, Airtel will be able to utilise Batelco’s presence across the Middle East and other regions to reach its customers in more locations.

“We are well in line with our expansion plans, and are glad to have signed this agreement with Airtel to drive us forward,” said Mr. Al-Daylami.

“It’s partnerships like these which empower Batelco to meet global demands and provide services at outstanding value. Furthermore, this partnership also comes at a time when Batelco is focussing on its active role in strengthening the Bahraini market. These partnerships, especially with well-established operators like Airtel, help Batelco in being a driving force to capture investment opportunities for the Kingdom of Bahrain,” he added.

Mr. Chitkara confirmed that customers are at the very core of everything Airtel does and delivering a compelling experience is Airtel’s foremost priority.

“We are happy to partner with Batelco, a brand that shares this vision and will help us further expand our reach in the Middle East and the nearby regions. I am certain that we have forged a winning partnership that will enable both companies to reach greater heights in the years to come,” Mr. Chitkara added.