India, Aug. 7 -- Bharti Airtel is preparing for a significant expansion of its data-centre business, with the telecom operator targeting 1 GW of capacity over the next few years as demand from hyperscalers, cloud providers and enterprises gathers pace.

Airtel has said that it plans to increase its data-centre capacity from around 120-130 MW to 1 GW, alongside a broader push to expand its fibre network across the top 400 cities in India. The plans point to a shift in capital allocation towards infrastructure businesses that the company expects to support its next phase of growth.

The expansion comes as data centres become a more important part of Airtel's strategy beyond its core mobile connectivity business. Its data-centre arm, Nxtra b...