26.12.12

Of Bharti's 4G foray....


Bharti Airtel, the country’s largest mobile phone company by customers and sales, has sought the government’s approval for testing voice services on its fourth-generation (4G) networks.
Currently, Bharti is the only telco that has launched high-end data services on the 4G platform. Earlier this year, the company had bought a 49% stake in US chipmaker Qualcomm’s 4G businesses in India to enable it to quickly launch services in four zones, including the key markets of Delhi and Mumbai, where it did not have 4G permits, making it a serious competitor to Infotel Broadband. Bharti now owns 4G permits in eight circles. It has already launched commercial operations on this platform in Kolkata, Pune and Bangalore. Bharti’s move to seek permission to test voice calls indicates that 4G spectrum holders want to combine this facility with high-speed data services on this platform.

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