Airtel and Apple have jointly launched 4G LTE service in India, Airtel is first operator to launch 4G service. Currently it is available in Bangalore only. It will be available in other cities in coming months. The service will work on Apple iPhone 5s and iPhone 5c only. Older iPhone and other Android device with 4G capabilities will not work in India as Airtel uses TD-LTE in the 2,300 MHz band frequency. Airtel has launched the 4G service for both prepaid and postpaid customers at the 3G prices. 4G gives users 10 times faster speed than 3G.
Bharti Airtel consumer Business Director, Srini Gopalan said—
“Airtel has always set the technology trends in India and was the first operator to introduce 4G to the country.The Information Technology capital of India saw the advent of 4G in 2012 and today we are proud to announce the launch of the much awaited Airtel 4G services on mobile in partnership with Apple. We will together give customers in Bengaluru the power to upgrade to cutting edge 4G LTE technology at no additional cost.As a brand we are committed to enriching lives of millions by giving them the best user experience and invite our data savvy customers in the city to enjoy this world class data experience.”
Airtel has launched 4G data service back in 2012, but it was based on data card only. Now airtel has introduced both voice calling and 4G data speed on 4G network. Airtel has kept the pricing very competitive, 4G prices are same as 3G data plans. Current 3G users can use 4G service at no extra cost. Users will need to swap their existing 2G/3G SIM cards to use 4G plans. Current 2G/GPRS users can opt for 4G service by selecting any 3G plans. For power users Airtel launched a special plan of 10 GB at ₹1,000 price.
Airtel users will browse data on 4G networks and for voice calling network will fall-back on 2G/3G network. Airtel is using the CSFB (circuit switched fall back) technology for 4G service. 4G data require packet switching based on internet protocols and voice calling works on circuit switching.
Have you used 4G service yet?
