Researcher says the entire ecosystem is preparing for this shift to LTE networks
With more than 1 billion potential consumer, India represents a lucrative, yet largely untapped and still maturing, telecommunications market opportunity. As hardware manufacturers bring down smartphone prices, carriers are racing to deploy LTE networks in India to support booming demand for mobile connectivity.
Vodafone India recently announced the commercial launch of its FDD-LTE networks in Kochi, Kerala, through spectrum in the 1800 MHz band. The telco confirmed plans to roll-out the service in Trivandrum and Calicut in the short term, according to local press reports.
Vodafone’s goal is also to launch LTE networks and services in Mumbai, Delhi, Bengaluru and Kolkata by March 2016. Testing of LTE services in these locations has already commenced, and Vodafone India has partnered with technology service providers for the LTE networks roll out. According to previous reports, Chinese ICT solutions provider Huawei is supplying base stations and other equipment for Vodafone LTE networks in Karnataka and Kerala.
“Vodafone’s global expertise and experience of launching 4G across 19 countries gives us a better understanding of this technology and the needs of the 4G customer,” said Vodafone India CEO Sunil Sood.
Vodafone India obtained additional spectrum in five circles – Mumbai, Delhi, Kolkata, Kerala and Karnataka – in an auction organized by the government in February 2014.
Vodafone India is a fully owned subsidiary of Vodafone Group and launched operations in the Asian nation in 2007. The telco currently serves approximately 188 million subscribers across India.
Reliance Jio Infocomm seems to be the next big player focused on LTE networks and services in the Indian market. According to recent reports, the telecom services provider aims to launch commercial LTE services in April or May. However, the company will initially offer LTE services for a group of employees starting Dec. 27. Reliance Jio Infocomm employees will be offered free LTE connections and voice-over-LTE-enabled handsets at discounted rates.
Reliance Jio plans to offer the LTE service through spectrum in the 800 MHz, 1800 MHz and 2300 MHz bands. Reliance has had a Pan-India LTE license in the 2300 MHz band since 2010. According to local press reports, the company will also sign a network sharing agreement with Reliance Communications to use that firm’s spectrum assets in the country.
During the Small Cell Americas conference, which took place in Dallas last month, Reliance Jio Infocomm SVP of wireless networks Tareq Amin said the LTE deployments will include more than 100,000 macro sites, 150,000 small cell, more than 500,000 Wi-Fi access points and more than 234,000 kilometers of fiber to be deployed in the next three years.
In August, rival operator Bharti Airtel said its LTE network was on air and services were commercially available in 296 towns and cities across India. Bharti Airtel initially launched India’s first LTE network in Kolkata in April 2012, through spectrum in the 2300 MHz band. The telco counted 235.2 million mobile subscribers in India at the end of the third quarter.
Last month, Indian state-owned operator Bharat Sanchar Nigam said it expects to launch LTE services by March through spectrum in the 2.5 GHz band.
Mobile operator Idea Cellular is currently deploying its LTE network in a number of regions including Kerala, Maharashtra & Goa, Andhra Pradesh, Karnataka, Madhya Pradesh & Chhattisgarh, Punjab, Haryana, North East, Tamil Nadu, and Orissa. Idea currently has LTE spectrum in 11 of the country’s 22 service areas.
According to IDC, India will end 2015 with 5.8 million LTE subscribers, and by the end of 2016, the country is expected to reach a total 14 million LTE customers.
IDC’s Quarterly Mobile Phone Tracker revealed 28.3 million smartphones were shipped to India in Q3 2015, up 21.4% compared to 23.3 million units in the same period in 2014. In Q3, the shipment of 4G-enabled devices experienced a three-fold increase versus the second quarter, according to IDC.
“4G-enabled devices are expected to be at the forefront, with the entire ecosystem preparing for this shift in the near future,” said IDC research manager Kiran Kumar said.
