Tata Tele, Sistema Shyam up the ante on wireless data speeds

CDMA operators including Tata Teleservices and Sistema Shyam TeleServices have upped the ante on wireless broadband speeds.

On Thursday, the two companies announced the launch of ultra-speed wireless broadband promising speeds of up to 14.7 and 9.8 Mbps respectively. This is the fastest wireless broadband speeds available in the country so far. The operators have been able to do this by deploying EVDO Revision B, which is the latest version of CDMA technology.

The move comes as a major challenge to 3G players who have not only forked out billions of dollars to buy spectrum but are also struggling to get their networks right. In contrast, CDMA operators are able to offer the new service using existing spectrum and infrastructure.

CDMA EV-DO Revision.B Phase-I network is present in several countries across the world including Japan, Norway, Indonesia, Sweden, South Korea and Ukraine among others. While Tata Teleservices is on Phase-I network, MTS claims to be the first company in the world to launch services in the Phase-2 network.

To avail Sistema Shyam’s services the customers need to pay Rs. 4599 to get an MBlaze Ultra dongle. Additionally, they will get 1 GB data usage per month for six months. Customers can also purchase the MBlaze Ultra device for Rs. 2499 without the data usage. Monthly rental plans have been made available starting at Rs. 629.

As an introductory offer, all customers purchasing MBlaze Ultra in the first month of launch will get 50 percent extra usage for lifetime. Initially, the service has been launched in Jaipur as part of a phased roll-out. The company has drawn up plans to make MBlaze Ultra available in more than 25 key cities across India. Mr Vsevolod Rozanov, President & Chief Executive Officer, MTS India said, “This historic launch will redefine the way customers experience mobile broadband as we roll out MBlaze Ultra across India. ”

Tata Teleservices will start offering the new service mid-September onwards in 27 major metros and cities across the country. The company did not provide tariff details. Mr Sunil Tandon, Head, Non-Voice Services at Tata Teleservices Limited, said. “The introduction of the Rev.B solution and products like Tata Photon on Rev.B will enhance TTL’s carrying capacity to lead in a market that is witnessing an explosion in demand for data services, as also provide a stable and reliable high-speed mobile broadband experience to our subscribers,” he said.

According to Mr James Person, Chief Operating Officer – CDMA Development Group (CDG), “This has clearly set the bar higher for other telecom operators to follow suit and to revolutionize the mobile broadband experience for their customers."

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