# Airtel Deploys On-Device AI for 30,000 Field Engineers

2026-08-06T17:57:54+00:00 | Business & Economy | Indian Opinion Desk

Corroboration: 1 independent outlet

Bharti Airtel says nearly 30,000 field engineers are using an in-house small language model on regular handsets. ETTelecom reports that the system processes images on the device rather than in the cloud, helping standardise installations, fault repairs and safety checks. Airtel executive vice-chairman Gopal Vittal said this shift could cut cloud workload costs by Rs 30-45 crore. The company is also expanding Airtel Cloud, adding 11 customers during the quarter to reach 33. Vittal said Airtel’s data-centre market share is about 12% and reiterated plans to build 1 GW of capacity over the next few years.

## Coverage

- telecom.economictimes.indiatimes.com <https://telecom.economictimes.indiatimes.com/news/industry/bharti-airtel-rolls-out-small-ai-model-for-30000-field-engineers-sees-30-45-cr-cost-savings/132916469>

Tags: Airtel Cloud, Artificial intelligence, Bharti Airtel, data centres, telecom
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