Airtel plans to launch VoLTE service in Q2
To take on Reliance Jio, Bharti Airtel, the country’s top telecom operator, is working towards launching commercial voice over long-term evolution (VoLTE) services in the next quarter. Trials for VoLTE are currently undergoing in some cities, including Mumbai.
People close to the developments said the Sunil Bharti Mittal-led firm is likely to launch VoLTE services in next quarter. “We are piloting/testing VoLTE at a few places but there are no launch timelines that we can share at this point,” an Airtel spokesperson said.
Also, Airtel’s fourth-generation (4G) technology footprint will cover all towns and cities by the end of this financial year. It has launched 4G services in all 22 telecom circles but a few cities and towns were not getting the latest and the firm is upgrading networks there.
During an investor call on the March quarter, Chief Executive Officer Gopal Vittal had said that VoLTE would be very relevant in key cities in the next 12 to 18 months. “Mid-band, given the site density that we have in most of these large cities, is a very good spectrum to deliver solid VoLTE experience. We also have sub-gigahertz spectrum in many circles and we will look at deploying equipment — radio equipment, which has the capability to move to LTE on the basis of a software switch. So, we are future-proofing our network in all our key cities,” Vittal had said.
Vodafone India is also conducting trials for VoLTE. “Vodafone has been leading the deployment of VoLTE in Europe and we are leveraging that know-how to launch in India. We are currently in the trial stages and hope to launch services using this shortly,” a Vodafone spokesperson said.
Idea Cellular feels VoLTE is a capability that is still developing and the system among devices is miniscule and confined to the highend variety. “The year ahead will see a greater proliferation of right-priced devices, leading to greater adoption, as telecom operators offer the service,” spokesperson said, adding the company could introduce the service after thorough testing.
Mukesh Ambani-owned Jio had launched VoLTE when it commenced services last year. It already has over 112 million subscribers and is adding a few million every month.
According to a report by telecom network gear maker Ericsson, by the end of 2022, the VoLTE subscriber base in India is pegged at 370 million. “VoLTE represents a great opportunity for telecom operators in India who are looking to route voice calls over 4G LTE networks enabling lower cost per minute for voice calls as well as free up legacy spectrum bands for re-farming,” Nitin Bansal, head of network products, Ericsson India, said.