NEW DELHI, India-In an apparent bid to compete with pan-Indian coverage provided by leading cellular providers like AirTel and Hutch, four regional players have joined to form a national alliance for roaming and other services to their customers.
BPL Mobile, Escotel, RPG Cellular and Spice Telecom announced in Mumbai on Wednesday the formation of the MobileFirst alliance. The new venture will offer enhanced value across tariffs, roaming and long distance calling to its 3 million subscribers across 700 towns in the country.
MobileFirst will be operated by an executive management committee comprising officials of the four companies and will have an independent secretariat. MobileFirst encompasses contiguous cellular circles with BPL Mobile in Mumbai, Maharashtra, Tamil Nadu and Kerala; Escotel spanning Haryana, Kerala, U.P. West, U.P. East, Rajasthan and Himachal Pradesh; RPG Cellular in Chennai; and Spice Telecom in Punjab and Karnataka, providing a pan-Indian footprint.
