Jio effect: Bharti Airtel may soon shut down 2G, 3G and shift on 4G-only network

Taking a cue from Reliance Jio which offers only 4G network, Bharti Airtel is looking to transform it current setup to become the second 4G-only network provider in India. According to the company’s Chief Executive, Gopal Vittal, Airtel is expediting steps to deploy the fourth generation airwaves in the 900 Mhz band, which are currently used only for 2G voice services, to 4G only. The Economic Times said that Airtel has 116 units of airwaves in the 900 MHz band across 16 circles. “We are seeing dramatic growth in 4G demand, and over a period of time, the 900 Mhz band will purely serve our 4G customers, while 2G services will be continue to be available on the 1800 Mhz band,” Vittal said, adding that the company will have “a transition strategy in place” in the run-up to deploying all its 900 MHz band spectrum for 4G services. The executive also signalled that the telecom service provider could shut down 3G networks in the near future, saying “the demise of 3G technology is rapidly drawing near”. ET said that Airtel has refarmed its airwaves in the 900 MHz band in Karnataka for 4G services, and will reportedly replicate the process in other areas to boost its share of 4G customers. Vittal reportedly said that the company is working closely with Xiaomi to bring in 4G phones that will support the 900 MHz band. Recently, Bharti Airtel launched a Rs 398 prepaid plan under which a user gets 1.5GB 4G data per day, unlimited voice calling and 90 SMS per day for a total of 70 days. The plan is launched to basically counter Jio’s Rs 398 plan in which it offers 2GB of data per day - 500MB more than the one Airtel is offering.

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