Idea Cellular CEO Himanshu Kapania today said the telecom operator will convert 70 percent of its network to 3G in three years from the current 40 percent.
The Aditya Birla group company will evaluate its entry into 4G LTE market only after 2016, said a report in Economic Times. Both Bharti Airtel and Reliance Jio Infocomm are currently exploring LTE market expansion.
Idea Cellular will continue to focus on the under-penetrated rural markets in Uttar Pradesh, Bihar, Andhra Pradesh, Madhya Pradesh, Odisha, etc.
Idea Cellular Capex: adds 1,436 2G and 2,648 3G telecom sites
In October 2014, Idea Cellular said it rolled out 1,436 2G cell sites and 2,648 3G cell sites during the second quarter of fiscal 2015. With the latest addition, the number of 2G cell sites of Idea Cellular has grown to 107,605, while 3G telecom sites touched 25,164.
Idea Cellular’s Capex guidance for FY 2015 stands at Rs 35 billion excluding any spectrum related payments.
Baburajan K
editor@telecomlead.com