Telecom Lead India: Videocon Mobile Services is planning to roll out 4G products and services across the newly won circles in 2013.
In the recently concluded 2G Spectrum auction, Videocon Mobile Services bagged liberalized spectrum in six circles of Haryana, Madhya Pradesh-Chhattisgarh, Gujarat UP west, UP east, Bihar and Jharkhand.
It has an ongoing mobile operation in Punjab.
Videocon on Wednesday said the spectrum can be used to roll out next generation networks and services by adapting spectrally efficient 4G technology FDD LTE.
Videocon will be the first mobile operator to launch 4G based on FDD LTE technology in the country. Both Reliance Industries and Bharti Airtel is using TD LTE technology.
Videocon will be competing with Reliance Industries and Bharti Airtel in the 4G space.
“This enables operators to gain more efficiency using the same spectrum resources. Next-generation network technologies enable about 30 times more data capacity than a traditional 2G network, allowing telecos to extend the lifespan of existing spectrum assets and reduce the amount of additional spectrum required,” said Videocon Mobile Services Director & CEO Arvind Bali.
Bali added that the company is currently in talks with telecom equipment vendors such as Ericsson and Nokia Siemens Networks for launching 4G services. “We expect to get spectrum by January 18. We will be finalizing our equipment partners shortly,” Bali added.
LTE would be capable of delivering high throughputs of ~100 Mbps to the mobile user and can support data heavy applications such as Maps, HD Video streaming etc.
Per Mbps cost of LTE at 2.3GHz is much lesser even when compared with a brownfield 2G site that has been upgraded to 3G: it will be more so in the case of 1800MHz LTE deployment.
Focus of Videocon:
1. Better customer service, to customers through more attractive and targeted plans conceived through better segmentation efforts
2. Prudent Network roll-out, to strengthen asset-sharing efforts and scale down on areas that are unprofitable
3. Cost leadership, in the coming year through technology management and a renewed focus on eliminating operational inefficiencies
4. Leverage learnings from earlier efforts, ensuring that mistakes made in previous roll-outs of both data and voice are not repeated
5. Innovation will be the key to provide innovative and differentiated offerings to customers – in tariff plans, in technology and in exceptional customer service initiatives.
“We have spectrum in 7 circles constituting a very high population footprint in India. These are also the areas where we enjoy a strong position already and where we see the highest potential for continued growth and profitability,” Bali added.
