Videocon to roll out 4G services in 10-12 months

Videocon Mobile Services is planning to roll out fourth generation (4G) services by July-August next year and is in talks with Nokia Siemens Networks (NSN) for infrastructure.

“We will launch 4G in 10-12 months time, probably by July-August next year... we are in talks with NSN for the network,” Videocon Mobile Services director and CEO Arvind Bali told PTI.

The services will be launched in all six circles, where it bagged spectrum in the November 2012 auction.

The company has a Unified Licence, which allows it to provide all kind of services including 3G and 4G.

The company in November 2012 won spectrum in six telecom circles — Bihar, Gujarat, Haryana, Madhya Pradesh, Uttar Pradesh East and West — for Rs 2,221.44 crore.

The spectrum won by Videocon is paired and liberalised, which means the spectrum can be used to roll out next generation networks and services by adapting a highly spectrally efficient 4G technology.

Bali said NSN is working on a technology wherein 4G can be offered on the same tower sites, which are being used to provide 2G services.

The 4G technology is based on FDD LTE, which enables operator(s) to gain more efficiency using the same spectrum resources.

A NSN spokesperson confirmed that talks are in progress with Videocon and it has also done some trials.

“We have been in talks with Videocon, technically and commercially, but no deal has been signed yet,” the spokesperson said.

He added NSN is already providing 2G network to Videocon, which will be upgraded to 4G when the services are launched.

The company will also augment manufacturing of 4G enabled phones when the services are in place, so that there is no dearth of devices.

Bali said, already many handset makers are producing 4G phones and that Videocon will also expand its smartphone portfolio of the 4G phones.

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