Manoj Kohli, president and CEO of Bharti Airtel, India’s largest mobile operator, yesterday said the firm is on track to launch 3G services next year but warned that 3G handset prices must fall below a US$100 price point before the market takes off. Speaking exclusively to GSMA Mobile Asia Congress Show Daily, Kohli said Bharti is expected to receive its 3G license in January 2009 and is planning to switch on its first 3G networks in the latter half of the year. Bharti already offers the premium-priced iPhone 3G in India, but Kohli said it was imperative that more affordable handsets are made available for when India’s first 3G networks go live. “3G will not become a mass service until handset prices drop to a level of affordability,” he said. “The trigger for 3G [in India] will be [handset prices] below US$100 by the end of 2009.”

Kohli added that the Indian economy was robust enough to ride out the current global financial crisis and he predicted that India’s mobile market would continue to grow strongly over the next decade. Alongside domestic growth – where Kohli said Bharti is continuing to grow its 31 percent market share – he said the company is also looking to expand into neighbouring countries where the Airtel brand is well known. He confirmed that the operator will launch in nearby Sri Lanka within a few months.