Bharti Airtel has launched the ‘Airtel Innovation Fund’ on Thursday. The fund, worth Rs. 200 crore is geared to encourage innovation and entrepreneurship in the field of telecommunications. Bharti Airtel is a first company in the telecommunication sector to set up such a fund.

The Chairman and Managing Director of Airtel, Sunil Mittal said that his company would like to help entrepreneurs with a vision and innovative ideas to set up businesses. He expressed hope that the move of his company would yield good results for the entrepreneurs of India.

The CEO and Joint Managing Director, Bharti Airtel, Manoj Kohli, maintained that the innovative fund by Airtel would prove a boon for small entrepreneurs. He also hoped that the company would start its operations in Sri Lanka by the end of 2008.

The company is in touch with Sri Lankan telecommunication companies and the local governmens on interconnection issues. Manoj Kohli also revealed that the telecom companies in Sri Lanka are using more sophisticated technology than India.