Airtel to roll out 3G service in Punjab on high grade spectrum

Telecom major Bharti Airtel will roll out its platinum 3G services across Punjab this month using higher grade spectrum band in 900 Mhz which promises to provide better speed.

"In line with its commitment to make Punjab a digitally enabled state, Airtel will be rolling out its Platinum 3G services across all major cities/towns and important corridors to complement its existing 2G and 4G services in the state," Airtel said in a statement.

The company said it will start rolling out services from this month, with first few markets being Chandigarh, Mohali, Panchkula, Patiala, Ludhiana, Amritsar, among others. Earlier, telecom companies used 900 Mhz spectrum to provide 2G mobile service. Airtel acquired this spectrum afresh through an auction held in 2015 for Rs 3,607.5 crore.

The company has the capacity to provide this category of 3G service in nine other circles including Andhra Pradesh, Karnataka, Assam, Rajasthan and West Bengal. Additionally, Airtel Platinum 3G will help optimise the back-end engagement between the network and mobile devices, that will help extend battery life of mobile devices, the statement said.

"The launch of Airtel Platinum 3G is an integral part of this commitment and will considerably improve the voice and data experience of our customers," Bharti Airtel Upper North HUB CEO Manu Sood said.

Airtel currently offers 4G services, using a combination of 1,800 MHz and 2,300 MHz technologies across 50 towns in Punjab.