Idea launches 4G LTE services in three more circles

Idea Cellular has launched 4G services across three more telecom circles in the country -  Madhya Pradesh & Chhattisgarh, Punjab and Haryana - taking the total number of circles with the services to seven,

The Aditya Birla Group company is gearing up to cover 183 towns by January 31, 2016.

The major towns to be covered include the cities of Indore, Bhopal and Raipur in Madhya Pradesh and Chhattisgarh (MPCG), Chandigarh, Firozpur, Hoshiarpur, Kapurthala, Moga and Pathankot in Punjab, and Ambala, Karnal, Hissar, Panipat, Rohtak and Sonipat in Haryana.

Other major towns including Gwalior, Jabalpur, Jalandhar, Muktsar, Patiala, Sangrur, Charkhidadri and Pinjore will follow by January 31, 2016.

With this launch, Idea Cellular has become the first mobile telecom operator to offer latest 4G services in MPCG. The company's world-class 4G services will rapidly expand to cover 84 towns including Ambikapur, Anuppur, Bhilai, Bilaspur, Chhatarpur, Katni, Kawardha, Korba, Mandsaur, Neemuch, Rajnandgaon, Ratlam, Sagar, Satna, Sehore, Shahdol, Shivpuri, Ujjain and Vidisha by March 2016.

This follows the company's 23 December 2015, launch of the services across four circles in South India - Andhra Pradesh & Telangana, Karnataka, Kerala and Tamil Nadu & Chennai.

''Since last week of December 2015, Idea has rapidly rolled out its high-speed 4G LTE network to cover 7 major markets in India. By March 2016, our services will extend to 3 more key markets namely, Maharashtra & Goa, North East and Orissa, and by June 2016, Idea's 4G footprint will cover 750 cities across 10 telecom circles," said Ambrish Jain, Deputy Managing Director, Idea Cellular.

Idea Cellular currently holds 1800 MHz 4G spectrum in these 10 circles, which cover 50 per cent of telecom market but over 60 per cent of Idea's gross revenue.

Idea has 2.7 million 4G devices, nearly 4 per cent  of its subscriber base in these seven telecom service areas, registered on its network. In comparison, on an all-India basis, Idea has nearly 49.5 million customers owning 3G devices and over 6 million customers with 4G devices.

Additionally, Idea has recently signed an agreement with Videocon Telecommunications Limited for acquiring 'Right to Use' 1800 MHz spectrum under 'Spectrum Trading Agreement' in two of its key telecom leadership markets of Gujarat and Uttar Pradesh (West).

Post completion of this transaction, 4G services will be extended to 12 service areas, covering 75% of Idea's revenue base in the country.