Bharti Airtel announced that its Voice over LTE (VoLTE) service is live in Mumbai in a bid to take on Reliance Jio.
Airtel has also deployed 4G Advanced Carrier Aggregation technology in Mumbai that enables data speeds of up to 135 Mbps by combining spectrum capacities in 2300 Mhz (TD LTE) and 1800 Mhz (FD LTE).
Idea Cellular is expected to join the VoLTE bandwagon shortly. Reliance Jio is the largest 4G operator in India with 130 million subscribers.
India’s largest telecom operator is planning to expand VoLTE in the coming months. Reliance Jio VoLTE has nationwide presence.
The announcement is significant because Airtel is gearing up to launch its data bundled 4G smartphones for a price of Rs 2,500 during the upcoming festival season competing against the Rs 1,500 phone from Reliance Jio.
Airtel 4G subscribers can access Airtel VoLTE service on popular 4G / LTE enabled mobile devices. Airtel VoLTE that works on existing 4G network offers HD quality voice calls along with faster call set up time.
Airtel VoLTE users will not face any call drops because VoLTE calls will fall back on 3G / 2G network – even if there is no 4G network in some areas — to ensure seamless connectivity. The simultaneous use of 4G data and VoLTE calls on phones is possible on Airtel connection thanks to the strength of the network.
How to access Airtel VoLTE:
# Check mobile device compatibility at www.airtel.in/volte. Airtel has certified popular device models for VoLTE compatibility.
# Upgrade the mobile device’s operating software to the latest version that supports VoLTE.
# Your device needs a Airtel 4G SIM. Customers can upgrade to the 4G SIM
# Enable VoLTE by following instructions on www.airtel.in/volte
# Customers with dual-SIM handsets need to insert Airtel 4G SIM in the data SIM slot / slot 1 and set network mode as “4G/3G/2G (Auto)”.
Apple iPhone SE / 6 /6plus/ 6S / 6S plus/ 7/ 7plus smartphones are compatible with Airtel VoLTE.
In addition, Samsung J700 / A800/ J2 Pro/ J2 2016 smartphones are also compatible with Airtel VoLTE.
Xiaomi MiMax Prime / Redmi Note 4 / Mimax / Mi5, Gionee A1 and Oppo F3 plus also support Airtel VoLTE.
“Airtel has built 4G network across India and with the VoLTE compatible device ecosystem beginning to mature, we believe it’s the right time to enable VoLTE calling as part of our service portfolio,” said Abhay Savargaonkar, director – Networks, Bharti Airtel.
