India's First 4G Service in India Goes Live with Airtel

India is making a new beginning in the field of telecom by introducing 4G services in Kolkata. This latest technology was introduced by Bharti Airtel (News - Alert), a telecommunication company, making India one of the first countries in the world to commercially deploy this cutting-edge technology.

Sunil Bharti Mittal, chairman and managing director of Bharti Airtel, said that the launch is a major milestone for India and Airtel and over the past 15 years Airtel has been at the forefront of India’s telecom revolution and has set the technology trends in India by aligning with the global standards.

He said, “We are delighted to now provide leadership in setting the technology standard for 4G services in India by introducing the cutting edge TD-LTE (News - Alert). We are confident that others will follow in this direction and participate in our pioneering effort of making TD-LTE the defacto 4G standard in India. I would like to thank all our stakeholders in helping us fulfill the Government’s vision of Broadband on Demand, outlined by the Hon’ble Telecom Minister. I would also like to thank the Government of West Bengal for their support and cooperation that has made this launch possible and once again reiterate our commitment to participate in the development of the state.”

Airtel officials said that the company will offer 4G services and other complimentary services such as rich content, superfast access to High Definition (HD) video streaming, multiple chatting, instant uploading of photos and much more.

The company also plans to stretch itself to improve overall growth in rural areas by enhancing the reach of e-governance, e-health and e-education services.         

“High speed wireless broadband has the potential to transform India, provide a robust platform for building the country’s digital economy and truly empower people. With one of the largest pools of young population in the world, India will see massive growth in consumption of data and content over mobile devices and proliferation of mobile commerce. I look forward to Airtel playing a pivotal role in shaping this exciting future for India,” Mittal added.

Bharti Airtel is also the founding members of the Global TD-LTE Initiative (GTI), which was launched at the Mobile World Congress (News - Alert) 2011.

In other news, Bharti Airtel is in advanced discussions with US chipmaker Qualcomm (News - Alert) to buy its fourth-generation licences for about Rs 6,000 crore, an acquisition that will allow the country's largest telecom firm to quickly launch 4G services in the key markets of Delhi and Mumbai.