Category: Airtel

After Airtel, Aircel Joins The 4G Race With its Launch In 4 Circles

Aircel India has recently launched its 4G services which will be offered across four circles, namely, Andhra Pradesh, Assam, Bihar and Odisha. Aircel already provides 2G and 3G services and it is now become the second Indian telecom operator after Airtel to launch its 4G services in the country.

Aircel holds 20MHz of spectrum in the 4G LTE 2300 MHz band across eight circles – Andhra Pradesh, Tamil Nadu, West Bengal, Bihar, Odisha, Assam and North East and Jammu and Kashmir.

Aircel’s enterprise customers will experience a 4G LTE high-speed network to receive dedicated internet and secure VPN (Virtual Private Network) services whereas its Home customers will experience various infotainment services on high-speed broadband that will help connect any Wi-Fi device to support services such as faster internet access, Smart TVs, Virtual Home Solutions, Home Security, online gaming and much more.

Aircel hopes that existing technological leadership position further lends to providing a promising and reliable 4G LTE service to our customers. They also promise that the wireless broadband services offered will help customers transform their workplaces and homes into ‘smarter’ entities.

The parameters that will differentiate Aircel’s 4G LTE services include customized offerings with a quick turnaround time for deployment of services to Enterprise and Home customer, beating existing industry standards; high speed and low latency, which are critical to any enterprise service experience, will be Aircel’s key focus deliverable building on Reliable MPLS (Multiple Protocol Label Switching) core network.

So far, Airtel has launched 4G services in a few circles, while a pan-India availability is still awaited. Though, there is no information as of now about their 4G data charges as of now. Aircel’s entry will finally bring some competition in the segment, perhaps encourage other players to launch their services. From customers’ point of view, competition gives possibility of lower tariffs and even more affordable devices.

July 16, 2014
Airtel brings 4G to Four More Punjab Towns

After successful launch of its 4G services at Chandigarh-Tricity, Ludhiana and Jalandhar, Airtel is now bringing the service to four new Punjab towns. The company has identified Amritsar, Hoshiarpur, Phagwara and Kapurthala as the next stop in its LTE phases in India.

The users of iPhone 5S and 5C can immediately switch to LTE network by upgrading to an USIM (Universal SIM)/4G SIM and selecting a plan. Laptop and Computer users can access Airtel’s LTE network using an Airtel 4G dongle or a Wi-Fi CPE (Customer-premises equipment). The USIM comes free with the Dongle or a CPE. Phone users can get the SIM for Rs 49. The dongle is priced at Rs 1500 and the CPE is priced at Rs 2500.

The company also offers a special pack of Rs 999 (for postpaid – mobiles, dongles and CPEs) and Rs 995 (for prepaid- mobiles only) for heavy data users which will offer 10 GB of 4G data. For postpaid mobile customers, the plans will start at Rs 100.

The company claims that, with their 4G technology, users can watch high definition video streaming with zero buffering, download 10 movies in less than 30 minutes, upload full holiday albums in less than 5 minutes by uploading 2 high quality photos per second and also connect multiple devices without any experience constraint. Airtel has set up special demo zones for costumers to get live demos.

4G or LTE is much cheaper to install for companies in comparison to 3G technology. There is less congestion in 4G as it has a wide bandwidth. So users should get amazing speed with minimum lags.

Even though many countries have switched to LTE technology, Indian mobile companies have been rather slow in its implementation. The reason for this is that they are waiting for return on investment on the massive 3G infrastructure they had to set up.

July 14, 2014
Airtel Hits Jalandhar with 4G

People living in Jalandhar can now enjoy high definition video streaming with zero buffering, download 10 movies in less than 30 minutes, uploading a full holiday worth of albums in less than 5 minutes by uploading 2 high quality photos per second and also connect multiple devices without any experience constraint.

After launching in Chandigarh and Ludhiana successfully, now Airtel is launching its 4G services in Jalandhar. iPhone 5s or iPhone 5c owners can start their mobile 4G experience right away by upgrading to a 4G SIM.

It is not only easy, but also affordable! While the USIM will come free with the purchase of dongle or CPE(Customer-premises equipment). Otherwise it will come for Rs 49 for mobile users, with the dongles priced at Rs. 1500, and the CPE is priced at Rs 2500.

A special pack of Rs. 999/- (for postpaid – mobiles, dongles and CPEs) and Rs. 995/- (for prepaid- mobiles only) have also been introduced for heavy data users which will offer 10 GB of 4G data. For postpaid mobile customers, the plans will start as low as Rs. 100/-.

You can also enjoy the Airtel 4G’s unbeatable speed on the Airtel 4G dongle, Wi-Fi CPE and 4G compatible handsets including Xolo LT 900 and LG G2 (model D802T) apart from the iPhone 5S (models A1530& A1518) and 5C (models A1529 & A1516).

Special demo zones and kiosks have been installed at the Airtel Office at 342, New Jawahar Nagar, Jalandhar for customers to experience LIVE demos and get started on 4G. Airtel is planning to launch this service in Delhi in July while Bangluru, Kolakata, Pune and Mohali already have this service.

So if you were wondering about buying an LTE capable phone, then this should tilt the scales towards a positive.

May 30, 2014
Bharti Airtel To Launch 4G In Delhi Soon

Bharti Airtel is likely to launch 4G telecommunication services in the Delhi service area either in September or by end of this year.

The company claims that the 4G technology allows users to watch videos and download content on mobile devices much faster than third-generation(3G) networks. Airtel is already offering 4G in Kolkata, Bangalore, Pune and Chandigarh and now Delhi will be the 5th city.

As per TOI the company has collaborated with the Chinese equipment maker Huawei to build and operate the 4G network in Delhi.

We are planning to launch 4G services in Delhi by September and has selected Huawei for the network,” a company source said.

The company in 2010 won broadband wireless licences in the four service areas of Maharashtra, Karnataka, Kolkata and Punjab. Additionally in May 2012, Bharti Airtel bought 49% later increased to 51% stakes in four entities of Qualcomm’s wireless broadband business in India. As a result, the entities that hold wireless broadband or broadband wireless access (BWA) licences in four circles of Delhi, Mumbai, Haryana and Kerala, have become subsidiaries of Bharti Airtel.

After Delhi, Airtel will launch 4G services in Mumbai and the company is in talks with players such as Huawei and ZTE for network. 4G mobile Internet technology provides download speeds of around 100 Megabits per second (Mbps) on the move and it can go up to 1 Gigabits per second (Gbps) at a fixed location.

Here is an image that shows the price of Airtel 4G in Chandigarh, we can now assume the price for the 4G services in Delhi:

Airtel 4G tariffs in Chandigarh

[via]

August 13, 2013
CBI Files Affidavit On Airtel CMD Sunil Mittal Involving 2G Case

The CBI on Wednesday filed an affidavit in the Supreme Court to bring on record the relevant facts regarding the alleged role of Sunil Bharti Mittal in a corruption case linked to allocation of additional 2G spectrum in 2002 as disclosed by its chargesheet filed in the 2G court.

In its 11-page affidavit accompanying voluminous documents gathered during the investigations, the CBI listed the sequence of events to argue that Bharti Televentures’ IPO and the allocation of additional spectrum were part of a concert involving Mittal and the late Mahajan.

As TelecomLead reports, the IPO of Bharti Tele-Ventures with a floor price of Rs 45 was the first ever 100 percent book building issue that opened for bidding from January 28, 2002 for six days and closed on February 2, 2002.

Thanks to institutional support, the IPO was oversubscribed over 2.5 times. While the total demand received under the book was Rs 2137.5 crore, the amount retained by the company at the issue price of Rs 45 per share is Rs 833.85 crore. The IPO became the backbone of Bharti Airtel’s growth in India. 2G spectrum was the game changer for Airtel’s success as it brought enough confidence to investors and valuation to the telecom operator.

The CBI said that an overall revenue loss of Rs 846 crore was caused to the exchequer by the low rates of Adjusted Gross Revenue imposed in favour of three companies.

Sunil Mittal and Essar group promoter Ravi Ruia, were summoned as accused in the additional 2G spectrum allocation case and appeared on Thursday in a Delhi court, which posted the matter for further proceedings on 16 April.

[Telecom Lead]

April 12, 2013
Airtel Ordered To Stop 3G Services In 7 Regions, Fined

DoT on Friday issued a fresh order to Bharti Airtel to stop intra-circle 3G roaming in seven circles where it did not have the spectrum and also levied a penalty of Rs 350 crore (Rs 50 crore per circle) on the company for violating the licence terms and conditions. Airtel has been asked to stop the services within three days.

DoT is expected to send a similar notice to Vodafone India Ltd next week. Bharti Airtel is likely to approach the Delhi high court for a stay on the notices. Friday’s notice is the second to be sent to Bharti.

Last week, DoT made a case for sending the notices on the grounds that the operators were selling new 3G connections in circles where they did not get spectrum in the 2010 auction. This was not allowed as their telecom licences in those circles were not modified to allow them to offer the high-speed wireless data services. The licences were specifically amended for circles where they won 3G spectrum in 2010.

Bharti Airtel, Vodafone and Idea won 3G airwaves in 13, nine and 11 circles, respectively, in the 2010 auctions, and between them have a national footprint. They subsequently entered into intra-circle roaming pacts with each other and rode on the airwaves of their partners in circles where they did not hold spectrum themselves. This enabled them to offer high-speed data services on a pan-India basis.

[Via LiveMint]

March 16, 2013
Airtel Introduces ‘Call-me-Back’ Service In Case Of Low Prepaid Balance

No talktime to even give a missed call? We are here to help you with Airtel ‘Call-me-Back ‘ service. The Call-me-back SMS service will allow a prepaid user to get a call-back from another airtel number (prepaid or postpaid) in case of insufficient balance. This unique service will ensure that airtel customers are always connected.

Just SMS writing CALL <space> <airtel mobile number you want to speak to .>, send to 121 , and expect a call from your dear ones. For e.g. ‘Person A’ having balance less than Re.1 can send a toll-free SMS to 121 writing CALL < Person B airtel number >, and the ‘Person B’ will get an SMS from number of ‘Person A’ saying : “Please call me back. Thank You.” .This service will ensure that are airtel customers are never out of touch with their family and friends.

There is no charge to ‘Person A’ for this service, and the call-back by ‘Person B’ is as per the person’s B plan rate. The customer who is calling back can be a prepaid or a postpaid user. Also, both the customers can be a local , STD number , or be in national roaming.

This service can be availed when the balance in customer’s prepaid account is below Re1 , and can be used upto 3 times in a day.

December 13, 2012
Airtel launches Green Data Centre in Mumbai

Bharti Airtel has launched a new Green Data Centre in Mumbai. The state of the art facility has been designed to achieve 1.7- 1.75 PUE, making it one of the most energy efficient facilities in India.

The new data center expands Airtel Business’s ability to offer collocation, managed hosting, disaster recovery, remote infrastructure management, application and cloud computing services to small, large and medium enterprises across verticals in Mumbai. This is Airtel’s eighth tier 3+ data centre in the country and is in line with Airtel’s growing focus on hosting and managed services segment.

The data centre has been jointly designed and commissioned with India’s NetMagic Solutions Pvt Ltd; is carrier neutral, and is connected to airtel’s first class bandwidth capacity and network support infrastructure to enable scalability, resilience and efficient delivery of services to its valued customers.

[quote]

Drew Kelton, President – Airtel Business, Bharti Airtel, said “Mumbai is the commercial capital of India and is also one of the world’s top centres of commerce as a result it offers humungous opportunity to provide IT managed and cloud services to enterprise customers. With the launch of this facility, Airtel takes another step in moving beyond its core connectivity services and into collocation, managed and hosting services and bringing these services closer to our clients in Mumbai. It supports our drive to be the preferred IT&T provider delivering end to end solutions to our customers.”

[/quote]

Airtel currently operates seven level 3/3+ data centres in NCR, Bangalore, Chennai, Bhubneshwar and Pune – giving PAN India presence and choice to enterprise customers for their both primary/DR requirements.

December 5, 2012
Bharti Airtel Becomes World’s 4th Largest Mobile Operator

According to the Wireless Intelligence ‘Scoreboard’ report, Bharti Airtel has 250 million mobile subscribers across its operations by the end of June 2012. Bharti Airtel took over Telefonica Group with a growth of 13 percent over the year.

Bharti Airtel has operations in 20 countries across South Asia and Africa with a subscriber base of 250 million.

According to a PTI report, China Mobile continues to be at the top spot with 683.08 million connections, followed by Vodafone Group (386.88 million) and America Movil Group (251.83 million). Bharti Airtel (250.04) and Telefonica Group (243.51) are at fourth and fifth position, respectively.

The research report also listed three other Indian operators in the top 20 mobile operators with Reliance coming in 8^th position having a subscriber base close to 155 million, followed by IdeaCellular in 14^th position with 117 million subscribers and then BSNL in the 20^th position with 98 million mobile subscribers.

October 22, 2012
Sony Launches Xperia ion in India,Bundled with Airtel Data pack, Rs 36,999 (PR)
Sony has finally officially launched the Xperia ion in India, priced at Rs. 36999. It is bundled with Airtel for data packages. Airtel mobile customers who buy the new ion will enjoy 500MB of free 3G data per month for 3 months; and 200 minutes of Mobile TV for a period of 2 months.

[quote]With XperiaTM ion, we’re bringing together a seamless experience across the multiple screens that we use to play, watch, listen, and share. XperiaTM ion is the gateway to HD entertainment when and – most importantly – where you want it. We are glad to see overwhelming customer response for our XperiaTM range and we thank them for supporting us unconditionally on this successful journey in India. We strongly believe that the consumer will like the XperiaTM ion’s HD entertainment experience which has exclusive Airtel data offer to enhance the smartphone experience. – said Prasun Kumar, Marketing Head, Sony Mobile Communications [/quote]

Quick Specs of the Xperia ion:
- MRP: Rs. 36,999
- 4.6 inch HD Reality Display resolution of 1280 x 720px
- Sony’s MOBILE BRAVIA Engine
- 16GB internal storage
- 1GB RAM, MicroSD card support up to 32GB
- HSPA, EDGE/GPRS, Wi-Fi
- Bluetooth v3.0, microUSB v2.0
- 12 MP AF rear camera with 1080p video recording at 30fps
- VGA front facing camera
Details on the Airtel Offer :

Offer applicable on the first active airtel SIM inserted in the Sony Xperia Ion handset, for prepaid and non 3G pack postpaid retail customers. Post 500MB usage or offer period, charges at 3p/10KB (10p/10KB in 2G circles) will apply. Offer on 2G data in 2G circles. Offer valid till 30- Nov-12. Text 3G to 121 to start 3G. 200 min of mobile TV or 2 month subscription (accessed through appXtra application), whichever is earlier.

Head on to our Coverage here : Sony Xperia ion
August 21, 2012
Bharti Airtel crosses 200 Million customers in India

Bharti Airtel has crossed 200 million customers in India. The 200 million customers include Airtel 2G, 3G, 4G, fixed line. DSL broadband. IPTV and DTH customers. Airtel started operations in India in 1995 and 2009 after 14 years it managed to reach the 100 million customer mark. Three years post the 100 Million mark Airtel has crossed 200 Million.

Airtel became the first Indian telecom operator in India to start 4G operations. With infrastructure of basic networks still struggling, Airtel still remains as the preferred service provider.

187.3 million are mobile customers which makes Bharti Airtel the largest wireless operator in India. Additionally, Airtel has 5.1 million active 3G customers of which 3.7 million are active 3G data customers.

August 10, 2012