New Delhi: Bharti Airtel, India's leading mobile phone service provider, on Friday entered into a strategic partnership with state-run Indian Farmers Fertiliser Cooperative Ltd (IFFCO) to offer telephony services to farmers in the country's hinterland.

The new entity that has been formed after the joint venture - IFFCO Kisan Sanchar Ltd (IKSL) - would provide products and services, specifically designed for farmers, through IFFCO societies in villages.

“The next market lies in rural areas. With this joint venture we will clearly like to gain the maximum amount of market share in the rural areas and be a leader in the same,” said Sunil Bharti Mittal, chairman and group CEO, Bharti Enterprises.

“We are trying to cover as much area as possible in rural area,” Mittal added.

In the first phase, telephony services would be rolled out in Uttar Pradesh, Punjab, Haryana, Rajasthan, Madhya Pradesh, Chhattisgarh, Bihar, Jharkhand, Orissa, West Bengal, Tamil Nadu and Himachal Pradesh.

Source : IANS