The Hindu Business Line : Bharti ready for 3G services

For starters, the company which has completed roll out of its global system for mobile (GSM) based mobile services in 23 circles is taking the next big step towards offering high speed mobile connectivity.

Mr Mittal is gearing up to launch third generation (3G) services over the next 12 months with an expected investment of close to $1 billion.

"We started off the journey for leadership from a single mobile licence, in a single city and today we are ready to launch 3G services. Within 12 to 18 months of getting the required spectrum, Bharti will be in the market with 3G services. Technology allows us to upgrade our existing network to offer third generation services. We would require close to $1 billion for covering the entire country," Mr Mittalsaid on the sidelines of the launch of its cellular services in Assam.

3G services allow high-speed data connectivity on mobile phones. While currently data speeds of broadband Internet services go up to an average of 256 kilo bits per second (kbps), 3G services allow more than 380 kbps on a mobile handset. So one can watch a movie, play interactive games, download data from the World Wide Web on the move. Wide band code division multiple access is the 3G technology choice, commercially available on 64 networks in 33 countries.

Pan-India footprint with Assam link

Bharti Tele-Ventures on Wednesday became the first company to launch cellular services across all the 23 telecom circles in the country. The company on Wednesday launched mobile services in Assam with 50 base stations.

The inaugural call from Assam was made by Mr Sunil Mittal, Chairman and Managing Director, Bharti Tele-Ventures, to the Prime Minister, Dr Manmohan Singh, in Delhi. The Communication Minister, Mr Dayanidhi Maran, also took a call in Delhi.

The company also launched its Global System of Messaging (GSM) based mobile services in the North-East starting from Shillong. The company is investing Rs 120 crore this fiscal to connect all the State capitals in the North-East region. The network is managed by Swedish equipment manufacturer Ericsson.

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