MTS has said it would invest Rs 100 crore towards expansion in Karnataka and

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add 1,500 to its present headcount of 3,000 nationally during FY11. The company has also launched high-speed mobile broadband service, MBlaze, in eight towns in Karnataka, extending the MBlaze footprint to 35 towns across the state.

So far, the company has invested $3 billon in India. In March, it had said it has earmarked Rs 100 crore for expansion in Gujarat.

MTS is aggressively expanding its high-speed data network and claims that it addresses over 92 per cent of data potential across India. MTS in India has secured over 11 million wireless subscribers.

Referring to expansion in Karnataka, Suresh Kumar, COO, Karnataka and AP circles, MTS, said, “ARPU from rural areas is almost equal to ARPU from urban regions. Karnataka is the largest circle for MTS in terms of revenue, and we will continue to invest in voice and data services here. In terms of incremental net adds we are more or less equal to the market leader.”

As per TRAI June 2011 report, broadband penetration in India stands at just 1 per cent against wireless tel-edensity of 69.19 per cent and 12.01 million connections as of April 2011. The National Broadband plan envisages a provision of 160 million connections including 60 million wireless connections by 2014.