espite the innumerable value-added services and downloadable bells-and-whistles that cellular service operators provide, what the average cellphone user expects from a cellular operator is a network that follows him around like (ahem!) a dog. A well-spread network and uninterrupted, high-clarity coverage continue to be the most compelling factors behind network usage and loyalty. Little wonder then that Bharti Cellular�s Airtel, which covers 18 Indian states and has a reach over 8 million consumers, is plugging the strength-of-network claim through its most recent television commercial.

The commercial is about a young couple on a bi-plane enjoying gravity-defying stunts executed by the man. As the plane soars and plunges over a lush tropical jungle, the engine suddenly dies and the man loses control. The plane hurtles downward, crashing through the green canopy and wrecking itself on the forest floor. Miraculously unscathed, the couple exit the wreckage. Trying in vain to reach the flight tower for assistance over the plane�s radio, the man is astonished to find the woman wryly informing her father that she�ll be home late - over her Airtel enabled cellphone. �No matter where you are, one network never lets you down,� the ad assures, as the voiceover adds, �Wherever you are.� ... more