Airtel has extended the reach of its 4G network to the border district of Tawang in Arunachal Pradesh, followed by Kohima and Dimapur in Nagaland on August 25. The company officially rolled out its LTE services across India earlier this month to 296 towns within 23 circles.
As per a PTI report, Tawang deputy commissioner Duly Kamduk thanked the brand’s Zonal Sales Manager Dulen Kalita and his team for bringing 4G services to that part of the nation. He also called on the network operator to further connect other uncovered areas like Lumla and Zemithang.
The commercial release of 4G in the country was preceded by months of testing the high-speed network in various parts of India including North-Eastern regions like Shillong. Making it available even in far-flung corners of the country and pressing its first-comers advantage seems to be omnipresent in Airtel’s plans over the LTE band.
Saurabh Goel, Airtel’s CEO of North Eastern States and Assam (NESA), commented that 4G has been launched in Tawang, Kohima and Dimapur due to the demand for faster network speeds in those places. In an earlier interview, he talked about the telecom provider’s current plans for the region.
Also Read: Uber and Airtel partner up to provide free 4G Wi-Fi
According to Goel, the brand’s NESA operations had grown by 14% in the previous fiscal and had gathered an income of Rs 2000 crore. It has a user base of 90 lakh which helped it take hold of a 40% market share in the North-East.
Airtel will face competition from network operators like Reliance Jio and Vodafone by the end of the year. The former has obtained a pan-India license to roll out 4G in 36 circles, while the latter has permissions to start it in 5 of the 11 circles it has the spectrum for.