The Indian telco has deployed 1,000 mobile sites in Mumbai; looking to go live by year-end
India’s second-largest mobile operator, Vodafone, announced plans to launch LTE services in Mumbai by December.
The telco said it plans to offer services through spectrum in the 1800 MHz band. Vodafone India said it has already rolled out more than 1,000 sites and invested more than $76.8 million in Mumbai during the first half of the current fiscal year. The telco is currently investing in fiber and backhaul to increase Internet connectivity, which will benefit all of its data subscribers in Mumbai.
Providing around 30% of the company’s data revenue, Mumbai is one of the top data markets for Vodafone in India.
“Having launched 4G services in several countries, Vodafone has the requisite expertise and experience to ensure that its 4G service in Mumbai will be best-in-class,” said Ishmeet Singh, Vodafone India’s business head for the Mumbai region.
Vodafone India also confirmed plans to commercially launch LTE services in Karnataka this year. Vodafone’s LTE service is scheduled to reach Bangalore, Mysore, Mangalore and Hubli in the initial phase of rollout.
In August, rival operator Bharti Airtel launched LTE services in 296 towns and cities across India. Bharti Airtel initially launched India’s first LTE network in Kolkata in April 2012, through spectrum in the 2300 MHz band.
Also, mobile operator Reliance Jio announced plans to launch LTE services in India by the end of the year. The LTE service will be offered through spectrum in the 800 MHz, 1800 MHz and 2300 MHz bands. Reliance has had a Pan-India LTE license in the 2300 MHz band since 2010.
Last month, Indian state-owned operator Bharat Sanchar Nigam said it expects to launch LTE services by March, through spectrum in the 2.5 GHz band.
Tikona Digital Networks selects ZTE for LTE broadband deployment
Also in India, local broadband provider Tikona Digital Networks selected Chinese vendor ZTE to deploy a TD-LTE broadband network in five telecom circles across the country.
Tikona had secured 20 megahertz of spectrum in the 2300 MHz band in an auction that took place in 2010. The broadband provider plans to invest more than $230 million to rollout wireless broadband services in more than 1,000 towns in the five circles of Uttar Pradesh (East), Uttar Pradesh (West), Gujarat, Rajasthan and Himachal Pradesh.
