Telenor, which acquired 1800 MHz band in 4 of its 6 existing circles – UP East, UP West, Bihar and Jharkhand and Andhra Pradesh – and in the new circle of Assam for Rs 8,447 million, will utilize the 4G LTE opportunity and will rival Bharti Airtel, Vodafone and Reliance Jio Infocomm.
But its 4G capacity on FD-LTE technology will be limited as compared with Bharti Airtel, Vodafone India and Reliance Jio Infocomm.
Bharti Airtel today indicated that it will become a national player in the 4G space. Vodafone will have FD-LTE in 5 telecom circles such as in Mumbai, Delhi, Kolkata, Karnataka and Kerala – where it acquired 5 blocks of spectrum in the 1800 MHz band.
Reliance Jio Infocomm is still struggling to launch 4G on TD-LTE technology. It is believed that the Mukesh Ambani-promoted 4G player has acquired enough spectrum during the spectrum auction that concluded today.
The main strategy of Uninor was to buy additional spectrum in existing telecom circles. With the additional spectrum, Uninor will be able to enhance its voice and data capacity by approximately 20 percent to 25 percent in the four existing circles of UP East, UP West, Bihar and Jharkhand and Andhra Pradesh.
“It is critical that mobile tariffs remain affordable for the mass market after the auctions. With its auction strategy, Uninor has ensured that it can continue to offer the most affordable tariffs in each of its seven circles while maintaining a healthy business case. We have now secured a spectrum platform for continuing growth and profitability in each of our circles,” said Morten Karlsen Sorby, nominated CEO of Uninor.
In telecom circles such as Gujarat and Maharashtra, Uninor will improve capacity and coverage through a significant expansion of network sites. The company has already announced its largest ever network expansion of over 30 percent to be completed in 5 months.
With the new circle of Assam, Uninor will now be able to potentially serve an additional population of more than 30 million and will shortly announce the launch of its sabse sasta (most affordable) services and bring new competition into the market. With these auctions, Uninor’s footprint now increases to seven circles.
