Bharti Airtel, the market leader, is spending a bulk of the Rs 20,000 Crore in the present fiscal into fiber-based and 4G tech network, as it has minimized launch of 2G and 3G infrastructure in the nation, a top manager claimed. “Most of the spending will go into fiber and 4G. We are not launching out too much of 2G and 3G networks anymore,” Gopal Vittal, chief executive of Bharti Airtel, claimed to the media in an interview.
He further added that the largest provider of the country has previously covered with 2G network infrastructure over 500,000 towns, and therefore might not require to launch out additional 2G networks. Previous week, Sunil Mittal, the chairman of Bharti Group, claimed that the largest telecom company of India aims to spend in the range of Rs 18,000 Crore and Rs 20,000 Crore in the financial year concluding March 2018.
Vittal claimed the telecom is presently putting strong attempts into expanding and rolling out 4G-Voice over LTE (VoLTE) services and organizing 4.5G with massive multiple input multiple output (MIMO) tech, and fiber-based backhaul to offer flawless data services to its 280 Million users. In association with Huawei, the Chinese gear vendor, Airtel has organized massive MIMO in Bengaluru & Kolkata and will launch it out in various circles beginning this week.
“This massive MIMO is pre 5G, more similar to 4.5G. These extra units will arrive into crowded regions and later in less crowded regions, and it will grow up ability,” Vittal claimed, including that the tech will make easy a change to 5G, for which it also requires more fiber and backhaul. The Idea Cellular of Aditya Birla group is also organizing massive MIMO on its TDD (Time Division Duplex) network and as per Himanshu Kapania, its chief executive, the Mumbai-located telecom company will also transport this tech to its FDD (Frequency Division Duplex) network in the coming time.
When asked about purchasing spectrum band, Vittal claimed to media, “Costs were high in the last auction on the band. If good spectrum is placed at correct cost, then it might find some purchasers.”###