Airtel launches 4G services in Bangalore for Apple iPhones 5c and 5s users

Airtel has launched 4G services in Bangalore, but these are limited to users with the latest Apple iPhones, the 5c and the 5s. According to India's largest private telecom operator, its services would allow users in the city to stream high definition video with zero buffering. Though the services are 4G, Apple iPhone users enjoy the added advantage of making payments at 3G tariffs.

Customers would need to upgrade to a 4G SIM to enjoy the higher speeds, but would not need to change their existing data plan, according to the telco. According to the company, the speeds would be so fast that one could download 10 movies in less than 30 minutes and use the wi-fi hotspot features in these phones effectively connecting multiple devices to the network.

Airtel said customers on 2G/GPRS data plans/packs could opt for any of the 3G plans/packs available and enjoy 4G speeds. Heavy data users could avail of a new plan offering 10 GB of data at 4G speeds for Rs1,000. However, users would do well to keep in mind that at 4G speeds, the limit could be exhausted in a few hours if they were not careful.

Mobile users until now were getting 3G, the launch of the new service would allow users to experience 4G on their mobile, at 3G rates too. According to commentators, it was not a bad offer for mobile users who at the 3G price could avail 4G speeds.

But how long the offer would be open was not known. The service was launched by Srini Gopalan, director – consumer business, Bharti Airtel India. He said the company would help customers in Bangalore to upgrade to 4G LTE technology at no additional cost.

He further informed customers that to avail the facility they would need to change their existing SIM to a 4G SIM on the mobile phone.

Depending on the response the service gets in Bangalore, the company would take it to other parts of the country as well.

Also, Airtel had rolled out new plans for heavy users, with 10 GB of 4G data to be available for Rs1,000. The duration of the data pack had, however, not been specified by Airtel.