Airtel to roll out VoLTE service across India by March’18

NEW DELHI: Telecom major Bharti Airtel plans to roll out VoLTE service, that enables phone calls using 4G technology, across India by end of the current financial year, a top official of the company today said.

“We have done (VoLTE) trials in 5-6 cities. Towards the end of this fiscal year, we will be taking VoLTE everywhere. The uptake of VoLTE devices will depend on certification…We should be very much national in the coming 6-9 months,” Gopal Vittal, MD and CEO (India and South Asia), Bharti Airtel said during earnings call.

At present, Mukesh Ambani controlled Reliance Jio is the only operator in India offering voice on 4G network using VoLTE technology, while the incumbent telcos have been offering voice calls to their 4G customers with support of their other established networks — 2G and 3G.

Vittal said that 3G networks in India will be phased out faster than other parts of the world and “India will get to a situation where 4G and 2G will co-exist for a while.”

Bharti Airtel on Tueday reported its smallest profit in 18 quarters as the price war triggered by newcomer Reliance Jio led to a massive 75 per cent fall in its April-June earnings. (AGENCIES)

 

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