Mobile phone operator Aircel is preparing to launch mass market 4G LTE services by the end of this year, as it looks to stay relevant in a market which has already seen a pan-India services launch by Bharti Airtel, and is set for similar launches by Reliance Jio, Vodafone and Idea Cellular.
"In terms of 4G mobility, we will be here sooner than later. We are hopeful of launching 4G for our retail customers by the end of this calendar year," Sameer Dave, Chief Technology Officer of Aircel, told ET.
The Chennai-headquartered company holds 20 MHz of spectrum in the 2300 MHz (4G) band across Andhra Pradesh, Tamil Nadu, West Bengal, Bihar, Odisha, Assam, the North East and Jammu & Kashmir.
Aircel commercially launched 4G services in six of the eight circles for enterprise customers. "Enterprise is a key focus for us. We have a large customer base in enterprise, which is growing pretty strong. Their expectations are consistent quality, high uptime and high throughput, which we are able to provide wherever we have 4G licences," said Dave.
Asked about the rivalry with other 4G players, Dave said that more competition will drive quality of services (QoS) and will be beneficial for end customers. "We are ready for that (competition)."
On 4G launch in its remaining two circles, Dave said Aircel has a minimum rollout obligation with the telecom department with which it complies, and will roll out accordingly.
Bharti Airtel, India's largest telecom company, offers pan-India 4G, and is expanding. Mukesh Ambani-owned Reliance Jio, the only company with pan-India 4G spectrum, along with Vodafone and Idea Cellular will also to start offering 4G services by December this year.
The company, which has been facing financial challenges over the years, has tried to bring in efficiencies in a bid to turn positive at the operating level. It had previously reported to be in talks with companies such as Airtel for selling its 4G licences but nothing has materialized so far. Some say, Aircel could be a big player once spectrum sharing and trading rules -- recently passed by the Cabinet -- are notified.
It currently has over 3 million 3G customers, and is aggressively investing in network expansion and transformation to improve 3G data services, and to overcome the call drops menace.