Shimla: Keeping pace with rival telecom players Airtel, Vodaphone, BSNL and the newly floated Reliance Jio, Idea, from the house of Birla, here today announced the launch of its 4G services in Himachal be providing the upgraded wireless broadband connections in the cities of Shimla, Dharamshala and Baddi.
“Himachal Pradesh is the 11th circle where Idea has started offering 4G services,” said Rajat Mukarji, chief corporate affairs officer Idea Celluar. “We will soon be operational in 20 circles, successfully transitioned to become a pan-India wireless broadband service provider, readying our over 180 million customers for the Digital age.”
“By Diwali the Himachal 4G service would have expanded to Nalagarh, Hamirpur, Palampur, Sundarnagar and Kangra and by end of March 2017 the service would go alive in 219 towns of the state,” said Sudhir Pradhan, chief operating officer – Punjab, J&K and Himachal Pradesh.
A company spokesman stated that Idea Cellular has recently acquired large quantum of spectrum to expand its wireless broadband footprint across the country, including Himachal. The company has also invested in setting up network infrastructure and laying and maintaining Optical Fibre Cable in the mountainous terrains of HP.
Idea has acquired spectrum in the 1800 and 2500 bands, which will be efficiently utilized for expansion of services in HP. With more than double the quantum of spectrum, Idea is geared up to boost its wireless broadband services in the region and provide its customers with seamless internet connectivity throughout the length and the breadth of the state, he added.
The Idea 4G trial packs start as low as Rs 22.
In the hilly state which has a population of about 72 lakh people, an Telecom Regulatory Authority of India (TRAI) March 2016 audit report showed that there were 75,98,233 phone connections giving Himachal a tele-density of 108%, making it one of the highest country.
TRAI data estimates that the size of Himachal Pradesh’s annual telecom business is about Rs 1440 crore.
The Idea Celluar executives claimed that the market was growing by about 10% annually and their network was registering the fastest growing network in the circle.
In terms of revenues, said Sudhir Pradhan, after Airtel we are second in the circle. Last year we were at 4th place, he added.
As Editor, Ravinder Makhaik leads a team of media professionals at Hill Post.
Spanning a career of over two decades in mass communication, as a Documentary Filmmaker, TV journalist, Print Media journalist and with Online & Social Media, he brings with him a vast experience. He lives in Shimla.
