Reliance Communications is planning to upgrade all its CDMA subscribers to 4G in a phased approach starting from May 4. The telecom operator is set to use the recently liberalized 800MHz spectrum for its services.
An official source told PTI that Reliance Communications (RCom) has informed the DoT about its plan to convert CDMA customers to LTE ones. The player has signed a spectrum sharing pact with Reliance Jio to provide 4G connectivity to its consumers through the latter’s infrastructure.
To recall, the Cabinet had recently allowed network companies in India to free its auction-allotted bandwidth holdings at TRAI’s recommended pricing, with the balance set to be collected after the actual spectrum auction takes place. Liberalization lets brands use a band for any purpose and doesn’t restrict it to just one kind of service.
The move allows RCom to liberalize its bands in 4 telecom circles consisting of Rajasthan, Karnataka, Tamil Nadu and Kerala for Rs 1300 crore. It’s already paid Rs 5383.84 crore to free 16 circles so far namely Madhya Pradesh, Himachal Pradesh, Mumbai, Gujarat, UP East and West, Delhi, Bihar, Punjab, and Kolkata.
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RCom is further looking to trade in CDMA-grade airwaves in the 800MHz band in 9 regions where Reliance Jio doesn’t command any radiowaves. The two have signed a spectrum sharing agreement for 17 circles. The latter is expected to launch its 4G platform soon, with a recent report alleging that it was preparing for a soft launch.