Tech PIVI

While 3G gradually expands its coverage in India, the latest fourth-generation mobile services (4G) has seen a rapid growth since its launch in April this year. Bharti Airtel has so far added 3,180 TD-LTE subscribers through its 4G network in Kolkata and Bangalore, while state-run BSNL has provided 50,077 connections through 4G/WiMAX. The revelation was made by communications and information technology Milind Deora. Bharti Airtel launched 4G (TD-LTE) services in Kolkata and Bangalore in May and April this year respectively. The operator has BWA licences in four circles Kolkata, Karnataka, Punjab and Maharashtra - and 3G licenses in 13 circles in India. The telco has also purchased Qualcomm's BWA licence – move that is likely to help Airtel consolidate its position in 4G segment even before other operators launch their services. The Qualcomm deal will help Airtel expand its coverage of 4G and 3G along with own networks to 18 circles. It's notable that...

India's GSM subscriber base grew by 1.08 percent in May, adding 7.27 million mobile phone users, with Bharti Airtel alone signing up over 2.01 million customers, according to data released by Cellular Operators Association of India. The total number of GSM subscribers in the country crossed 677.85 million as against 670.57 million in April. Airtel currently has 185 million subscribers. Idea Cellular followed Airtel by adding 1.8 million subscribers for a total of 116 million subscribers. Uninor, which stands to lose all its 22 licences cancelled following the Supreme Court's ruling earlier this year, added 1.5 million subscribers to take its subscriber count to 45 million. Vodafone added 1.2 million users, taking its subscribers base to 152 million. Aircel added 0.8 million subscribers for a total of 64 million users. CDMA player Sistema Shyam TeleServices (SSTL), in a separate statement, said it added 2,54,995 customers in May to have a total customer base of ...