Telecom Lead India: Airtel has launched 4G services in Chandigarh, Mohali and Panchkula.
Airtel 4G will enhance the mobile broadband experience in India. Currently Airtel is the only service provider to offer 4G services in India. Airtel has around 20,000 LTE users from its launch in Kolkata, Bangalore and Pune.
“We are optimistic about the potential of Airtel 4G services and invite our data savvy customers in Punjab to enjoy this world class data experience,” said Jagbir Singh, CTO and director, Network Services Group, Bharti Airtel, announcing the launch.
4G users will be able to enjoy super fast access to data services to stream High Definition (HD) videos, enjoy multiple chatting, instantly upload photos, download rich content and more.
The launch of 4G in India comes with associated challenges.
Airtel chairman Sunil Mittal shares 4G network challenges in India
According to Mittal, Airtel’s 4G challenges are mainly driven out of standardization challenges.
Also, cost of procuring smartphones is preventing many mobile users from embracing advanced services like 3G and 4G.
In 2010, Airtel had successfully bid for BWA license spectrum in Kolkata, Karnataka, Punjab and Maharashtra (excluding Mumbai) circles. Additionally, earlier last year, Bharti Airtel acquired 49 percent interest in Qualcomm AP’s India entities that hold BWA licenses in Delhi, Mumbai, Haryana and Kerala.
The company is working toward rolling out 4G network in remaining circles.
Owing to the pressure from regulatory authorities to launch 4G voice services, Airtel recently announced it will soon launch voice services for its 4G / TD-LTE customers in Pune, through its existing GSM network.
