Idea launches 4G service in Bengaluru
Idea Cellular on Thursday launched 4G service in Bengaluru and 38 other towns in Karnataka.
The service was first launched in Mysuru, Madikeri, Karwar, Chikmagalur, Belagavi, Chitradurga and a few other towns. Idea said their 4G services now cover 24 districts in Karnataka and they are looking to reach 22 more towns including Mangaluru, Udupi-Manipal, Bijapur and Bellary by March.
“Now we have 4G footprint in seven circles in India – Karnataka, Kerala, Tamil Nadu, Andhra Pradesh and Telangana, Madhya Pradesh, Chhattisgarh and Haryana and Punjab. We will expand it to three more circles – Maharashtra and Goa, Orissa, and the North East in this financial year,” said Ambrish Jain, deputy managing director, Idea Cellular.
Idea has enabled around 1,000 towers in Karnataka to offer the 4G service. “Around 600 of these towers are in Bengaluru. We’ll continue to expand these numbers with the increase in 4G users,” Jain told.
The service is being offered in 1800 MHz spectrum. The company said they are also developing the capability to offer voice over the 4G network in India soon.
Siva Ganapathi, chief operating officer of Karnataka circle, said 18 of the 39 towns in which they offer 4G is exclusive to Idea. “Currently, we are the only telecom player that offers 4G in these towns. We are covering 1.2 crore of Karnataka’s population under 4G network,” he added.
Idea said its subscribers can avail a free 4G sim card upgrade. The tariffs are at par with existing 3G plans. “We are offering a 4G trial pack at Rs 29. We have also tied up leading content aggregators to provide music, videos and games through our 4G network,” said Rajat Mukherji, chief corporate affairs officer, Idea Cellular.
