Vodafone India has officially announced it will launch its 4G network in Mumbai, Bengaluru, Delhi and Kolkata by March 2016, as the threat of additional competition from Reliance Jio looms. The telecom operator has begun issuing LTE-ready SIM cards in advance of the high speed service’s arrival in Mumbai.
To recall, Vodafone chose to introduce its 4G platform in Kerala back in December last year. It has decided to begin a new initiative where it will provide a 4G SIM home delivery service for its high-value customers in Mumbai. The brand is currently in the process of sending out a formal communication to the users who will be able to take advantage of this scheme.
The consumers who don’t fall under this category can now visit any of the 56 Vodafone stores in Mumbai to get their hands on a 4G SIM card. They can continue to utilize their existing data plan until the commercial launch of the company’s LTE services, after which they’ll automatically get upgraded to the faster network.
Vodafone has over 8.6 million subscribers in Mumbai, making it the biggest telecom operator in the city. It’s planning to propagate its 4G connectivity via the 1800MHz band. A new report had suggested that the brand was in talks with Tikona Digital Networks to take over the latter’s LTE bandwidth in the 2300MHz spectrum.
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The 4G reach of the UK-based Vodafone is currently restricted to 5 circles across India namely Mumbai, Delhi, Kerala, Karnataka and Kolkata. If the deal does go through, it will be able to expand its coverage to Gujarat, UP (East), Rajasthan, UP (West) and Himachal Pradesh. It may additionally buy more airwaves in the 1800MHz spectrum from Videocon Mobiles.