Bharti Airtel today announced the shutdown of its 3G network in Kolkata as part of the broader strategy to focus on 4G business.
Airtel mobile broadband services in the city will now be available on 4G. Airtel said it will continue to provide 2G services in Kolkata to serve the connectivity needs of customers on feature phones.

Airtel said it plans to re-farm its 3G spectrum across India and deploy it for 4G in a phased manner.

Airtel said it has re-farmed the 900 MHz band spectrum being used for 3G to strengthen its 4G network. The company is deploying L900 technology in the 900 MHz band in order to complement its 4G services in the 2300 MHz and 1800 MHz bands.

With L900, Airtel smartphone customers will enjoy improved 4G availability inside buildings — homes, offices and malls. It will also result in wider availability of Airtel 4G and a superior network experience across Kolkata.

Randeep Sekhon, CTO – Bharti Airtel said: “This is in line with our strategy of focusing on serving quality customers with best-in-class service experience.”

Airtel has informed its customers about the shutdown of its 3G network and requested to upgrade their handsets / SIMs to 4G. Airtel’s 3G customers, who are yet to upgrade their handsets / SIMs, will continue to receive voice services.