Even as Vodafone Idea announce big initiatives to expand their network and increase 4G speeds, new data released by telecom regulator TRAI shows that the telco has been left far, far behind by rivals Bharti Airtel and Reliance Jio in 4G expansion over the last one year. While both Bharti Airtel and Vodafone Idea started […]
Bharti Airtel, one of the top three telecom companies in India, said it plans to shut down its 3G network across India over the next six months. “We intend to shut down 3G services by december,” said CEO Gopal Vittal today, speaking to investors. The company has already shut down the 3G network in Kolkata, […]
Vodafone Idea CEO Balesh Sharma today said the company had managed to increase the speeds of its 4G networks by 50-70% in around half of its circles where it has merged Idea and Vodafone networks together. However, said Sharma, the market is yet to fully appreciate the improvement in speeds because of the experience that […]
The total number of 4G base stations in India has more or less doubled in the last 18 months to 1.26 million, according to numbers from the Department of Telecom. Against 6,76,462 4G base stations as of December 1, 2017, India had 12,62,841 (1.26 million) 4G base stations as of June 1, 2019. During the same […]
Bharti Airtel has deployed LTE on 900 MHz band, which has the ability to pass through walls and other obstacles much better than other 4G bands. With this, customers with handsets that support this frequency will see an improvement in 4G signal levels. This is expected to be very beneficial for voice usage. It should, […]
The government of India has given back the 4G spectrum surrendered by BSNL about seven years ago to enable the state-owned telecom operator to start 4G services. The telecom operator had surrendered 4G spectrum in six expensive circles such as Maharashtra, Karnataka, Tamil Nadu and Andhra Pradesh about seven years ago, in return for part […]
BSNL, the state-owned telecom operator, has finally launched 4G in Kerala, starting from bigger cities like Thrissur. Consumers who have upgraded to the 4G SIM can latch on to the operator’s LTE network. The operator is using the 2100 MHz spectrum to deliver 4G services. The 2100 MHz spectrum, which used to be deployed exclusively […]
Vodafone Idea will shut down nearly 88,000 cell sites (tenancies) as part of the company’s network optimization drive, the company’s chief technical officer Vishant Vora told analysts in Mumbai yesterday. Vodfone Idea had sent out notices to shut down 66,000 towers in the first week of September itself, resulting in savings of Rs 1,800 cr […]
Vodafone Idea, India’s No.1 telecom operator by subscribers and revenue, said it will increase its 4G network capacity by 50% in four months, largely by redeploying existing 4G equipment to avoid duplication. The move would also increase the coverage of Vodafone Idea’s 4G signals by about 30% compared to the present. “We are looking at […]
Bharti Airtel, India’s second largest telecom company by revenue, said it sees a “massive opportunity” for growth in India, its key market, due to the exit of all but four players. “A 3+1 player industry is a great outcome,” it said at the CLSA Investors Forum at Hong Kong. WIRELESS STRATEGY On 4G, the company said […]
Bharti Airtel said it has deployed an extra block of spectrum to its 4G service in Uttar Pradesh East circle, improving the carrying capacity of the network. “The addition of fresh 5 MHz spectrum will significantly boost Airtel’s mobile network capacity across UP (East) and enable a superior 4G data and voice experience for customers […]
Idea Cellular CEO Himanshu Kapania said his company has placed the order for radio equipment that will increase the company’s 4G capacity significantly in eight crucial circles as part of a massive network upgrade process for Vodafone Idea. “We have placed the order for TDD in both 2300 and 2500 MHz in eight circles… A large […]
4G operator Bharti Airtel was clearly ahead of market leader Reliance Jio and challenger Idea Cellular in on-the-ground 4G speed tests conducted by the Telecom Regulatory Authority of India in ten cities in India this year. According to the data from these tests, Bharti Airtel scored an average download speed of 9.46 Mbps, 44% faster […]
CMR, part of CyberMedia, said a total of 14.83 cr 4G LTE devices were sold in India during 2017 — or one for every 5 adults in the country. The number of 4G devices sold in the country rose 80% compared to 2016, it added. This includes mobile phones, tablets and dongles and mifi devices. […]
Lost in the details of the financial and technical data disclosed by Reliance Jio on its third-quarter performance was a tiny bullet point announcing that the company had broadcast a pan-India stream over eMBMS. eMBMS or enhanced Multimedia Broadcast Multicast Service is a hybrid technology that tries to marry the traditional one-to-many broadcasting architecture used […]
BSNL Chairman Anupam Shrivastava has officially confirmed what had only been hinted at so far, the company will indeed launch 4G services starting with Kerala next month. However, in all the buzz, one key element of the plan was overlooked — it is going to use Band 1, also known as the 3G band, for […]
Bharat Sanchar Nigam Ltd, the government-controlled telecom company, is likely to start its 4G services with a modest 10,000 towers. In comparison, players like Idea Cellular, Vodafone and Bharti Airtel have between 50,000-100,000 4G towers, while Reliance Jio has around 200,000 LTE base stations. BSNL has planned for only 10,000 4G node B or base […]
Bharti Airtel continued to expand its lead over Vodafone and Idea in terms of supporting 4G voice services by launching VoLTE or Voice over LTE services in Karnataka. The prices for VoLTE calls will remain identical to those of traditional calls. However, customers who use VoLTE-enabled handsets will be able to enjoy higher quality audio […]
State-owned Bharat Sanchar Nigam Ltd said it would offer one month of its wired services — DSL, landline or fiber — free if the booking is made via Twitter or Facebook. The user will have to pay security deposits and installation charges, if any. However, he or she will get a month’s worth of services […]
Nokia will help Saudi telecom operator Zain to use unlicensed spectrum in the 5 GHz band — often used for Wifi — to increase download speeds of 4G LTE. “Following the trial, the Nokia technology will be deployed in hotspots, for example, in malls and cafes in Jeddah and around the Holy Mosque in Makkah,” […]
