Saxena said Airtel had tied up with the farmers' federation IFFCO to provide farming inputs and help to farmers using mobile phones.

"This could be related to farming techniques, weather updates and other services," Saxena added.

Both company officials said Punjab, Haryana and Himachal presently had mobile penetration of just 33, 37 and 42 percent, respectively, compared to higher averages in some southern states and penetration of over 70 percent in metropolitan cities.

"We are looking at increase in mobile penetration, especially in Punjab," Bahl said.

The company has over 60,000 retailers in the region with over 6,000 mobile towers covering most towns and cities, highways and over 25,000 villages.