Idea Expands World-Class, High-Speed 4G LTE Services in Andhra Pradesh and Telangana; Launches Hyderabad Today

CIOReview Team | Thursday, 18 February 2016, 05:40 IST

  • No Image

•    4G services now cover 37 towns across 20 districts; To expand to 84 towns by March ‘16
•    Idea provides 2G services on superior 900Mhz band, now providing 4G LTE services on the efficient 1,800 MHz Band
•    Idea’s 4G LTE services are now available in 8 Telecom circles – Andhra Pradesh&Telangana, Tamil Nadu, Karnataka, Kerala, MP & Chhattisgarh, Punjab, Haryana and Odisha; To expand to 750 towns across 10 Telecom circles by June 2016
•    Offers complimentary 4G SIM upgrade and attractive 4G tariffs; Log on to www.ideacellular.com/4g for more details

Hyderabad, 16thFebruary, 2016: Idea Cellular, India’s fastest growing telecom operator,today announced the expansion of its high speed 4G LTE services across37 towns of Andhra Pradesh and Telangana. Within less than two months the company has expanded its 4G LTE service footprint to 20 districts, including major towns of Hyderabad, Vijayawada, Vizag, Warangal, Kakinada, Nalgonda, Kadapa, Kakinada and Tirupathi; covering 18% of the total population of the circle.

In addition to Hyderabad, Idea has today launched its high-speed 4G LTE services in other towns of Kodur, Anakapalli, Kothakota, Jadcherla, Armoor, Narsampet, Renigunta, Rudraram, Palamaner, Narsipatnam, Tekkali, Yellamanchali, Gajwel, Ghatkesar, Pileru,Metpally and Ananthapur. With rapid expansion Idea will launch its 4G services in Nizambad, Karimnagar, Nellore, Kurnool, Khammam, Srikakulam and 78 more towns by end of this financial year, taking the total tally to 121.

Idea Cellular is one of the leading player in the country with over 15.38 million satisfied consumers in Andhra Pradesh &Telangana. Idea provides extensive 2Gcoverage on superior 900MHz, extensive 3G coverage and has now introduced its high speed 4G LTE services with a wide network coverage.

In December 2015, Idea Cellular had announced the launch of 4G LTE services in all 4 telecom circles (5 states) of South India, namely Kerala, Tamil Nadu,Andhra Pradesh &Telangana, and Karnataka. Earlier this month, the companylaunched services across 4 more circles (5 Indian states) – Madhya Pradesh, Chhattisgarh, Haryana, Punjab and Odisha, expanding its 4G LTE service footprint to 8 telecom service areas.

According to Mr. Ambrish Jain, Deputy Managing Director, Idea Cellular said,“Since the last week of December 2015, Idea has rapidly rolled out its high-speed 4G LTE network to cover 8 major markets in India. By March 2016, our services will extend to 2 more key markets namely, Maharashtra & Goa, and North East, and by June 2016, Idea’s 4G footprint will cover 750 cities across 10 telecom circles.”

Idea Cellular currently holds 1800 MHz 4G spectrum in 10 Telecom circles which cover 50% of telecom market but over 60% of Idea’s gross revenue.

Speaking on the occasion, Mr. Sashi Shankar, Chief Marketing Officer, Idea Cellular, “Idea customers with 4G devices in these towns can now start experiencing superfast speeds by simply upgrading their existing SIM cards to new 4G SIM cards. Idea has also partnered with leading handset manufacturers and e-commerce retailers for special data bundling offers on new 4G smartphones.”

Key facts about Idea’s 4G services:

1.    4G offerings for the consumers: Inviting all existing and new consumers to experience its high speed 4G LTE services, Idea has announced the following offers -
a)    Complimentary 4G SIM card upgrade: All customers can avail a complimentary 4G SIM upgrade from Company Showrooms and leading retail outlets across 750 towns. Existing customers in key non-4G towns will also be able to enjoy Idea’s 4G services while roaming in these 4G towns by upgrading to 4G SIM cards from 28th February 2016.
b)    Attractive 4G data tariffs: Idea’s 4G Prepaid & Postpaid tariff plans are priced at par with existing 3G plans. The company is also offering ‘4G Packs’starting as low as Rs. 25.
c)    Special promotional offer for consumers upgrading to new 4G smartphones: Prepaid or Postpaid customers buying new 4G smartphones before 31st March 2016 are being offered special Double Data benefit on all 1 GB and above packs. The 100% extra 4G promotional data can only be utilized on Idea’s latest 4G LTE network.

2.    Digital Content for 4G consumers: Idea, marking its first foray in the digital space, is launching an exciting assortment of plans to suit the needs of all customers.
a)    Idea Ultimate plans: Idea has announced exciting ‘Ultimate Plans’ which provide a Bundle of 4G Data, Unlimited Voice calls and Content subscription
I.    Ultimate 999 Postpaid plan offers unlimited Idea to Idea Local calls, 3 GB Data subscription (Ultimate 1098 Prepaid plan).
II.   Ultimate 1499 Postpaid plan bundles unlimited Local voice calls, along with 5 GB Data subscription (Ultimate 1749 Prepaid plan).
III.  Ultimate 2999 Postpaid plan offers unlimited National, Local and Roaming voice calls with 15 GB Data subscription (Ultimate 3249 Prepaid plan).

3.    Wide Portfolio of 4G Smartphones & Devices: Currently, over 2.7 million 4G devices across these 8 circles are registered on Idea’s network and growing at an exponential rate. To facilitate 4G device upgrade, Idea announces -

a)    Launch of Idea branded 4G devices: Idea4G Dongles, 4G wifi Hub (connects 10 users) and Home Wi-Fi (connects 32 users) are now available at Rs. 2,600 onwards with attractive 4G Data offers.
b)    Partnerships with leading handset companies: Idea has partnered with market leader Samsung for special offers on its 4G Smartphones. The two organizations will launch a variety of programmes to offer differentiated and significant value to customers.

With increased adoption of 4G smartphones in recent months, Idea has also tied up with popular smartphone manufacturers including Intex Technologies, Lava, Lenovo and Xolo to offer bundled 4G data plans on smartphones.

c)    Tie up with leading E-Commerce retailer: Idea has partnered with Snapdeal, India's largest online marketplace, for providing exciting bundled data offers on 4G devices.

4.    Launch of responsive 4G website: Idea also announced the launch of its responsive 4G website - www.ideacellular.com/4G. Consumers can log on to this website to get more information about Idea’s 4G services, tariff plans and recharges, locate the nearest Idea stores offering 4G SIMs and much more. Idea is also rolling out a Smartphone E-store on its website. Consumers can now buy all leading 4G Smartphone brands, Wi-Fi Hubs and Dongles on www.ideacellular.com.

Idea’s World Class 4G Technology & Network Deployment for Future Data Demand:

•    Idea has rolled out its FDD platform enabled 4G LTE services on the 1800 MHz frequency band, which is the most preferred spectrum band for deployment of 4G services globally, and is supported by the majority of 4G handsets available in the market.

•    Idea Cellular’s 4G LTE Network will be equipped with the enhanced ‘Fast Return’ feature enabling seamless and quick toggle for consumers across Idea’s 4G, 3G and 2G networks, offering superior experience for both mobile data and voice services. While the company possesses the capability to introduce VoLTE feature, existing customers’ current 4G devices do not support this feature. Accordingly, the deployment of VoLTE will be evaluated at a later stage.

•    Idea is deploying state-of-the-art, ‘Single RAN’equipment which supports multiple technologies in a given frequency band. For every 4G site on 1800 MHz, this equipment also provides additional 2G voice capacity on GSM spectrum.

•    For FY16, Idea Cellular’s capex guidance is Rs. 7,500 crores, significantly higher than earlier years’ annual capex spends. In this fiscal year, Idea plans to add 40,000 - 45,000 sites on 2G, 3G and 4G technology platforms, complete a cumulative roll out of 111,000 kms of Fibre, and add an incremental 175-200 million population to the Mobile Broadband (3G & 4G) Population Coverage. The 4G launch in Southern India is part of the capex guidance by Idea.

•    The roll out of Idea’s 4G services will be financed through internal accruals. The company recorded an EBITDA of Rs. 5,739 crores in H1FY16, a growth of 27.6% over H1FY15 and cash profits of Rs. 5,085 crores, a robust growth of 32.5% over H1FY15.

🍪 Do you like cookies?

We use cookies to ensure you get the best experience on our website. Read more...