Forget 3G, Airtel is planning to start the roll out of its 4G LTE network in India this month, starting with Kolkata on 20th March 2012. Airtel has appointed Nokia Siemens Networks, Huawei, ZTE and Ericsson to build and operate its 4G LTE network in Maharashtra, Karnataka, Kolkata and Punjab respectively. Airtel also holds BWA licenses in these circles.
Surprisingly, Airtel’s 4G deployment will not be India’s 1st. A company called Augere Wireless beat Airtel to it and has been offering high-speed data through dongles (data cards) since last month in Madhya Pradesh.
Our take on Airtel’s move is simple – Please fix your 3G network first, and then think about moving beyond it.
This news makes us wonder if the new iPad will work on Airtel’s 4G LTE network in India. We will surely let you know as soon as we find out.
