Aircel readies for 4G services launch

Aircel Ltd’s is likely to launch its 4G service in about six months, according to K. Sankara Narayanan, Regional Business Head, Aircel Ltd, Chennai.

He said that the company has identified data services as the future growth engine, even though voice services continue to account for the largest share of the revenue of the telecom industry.

Speaking to presspersons in Coimbatore on Tuesday, he said Aircel had placed the orders for equipment (for 4G service). It was testing the product and service configurations and it will take a “minimum of six months” to launch 4G services.

Asked whether with the imminent entry of Reliance Industries in the telecom space with 4G technology the telecom sector is in for a shake-up, Sankara Narayanan said that 4G is “definitely a step forward in technology” giving the customers a “fantastic choice”. It would also give customers “incredible speed that does not exist in the market today”.

He pointed out that 2G services were continuing to be in demand even after the advent of 3G. Similarly, after companies introduce 4G services, the 2G and 3G services would continue to co-exist with 4G because each segment has got its own users and each comes at a cost that would find backers. Aircel would offer a bouquet of services to its customers.