Even as 3G (third generation telecom) services struggle to establish a firm foothold in Odisha despite being launched more than two years ago, the State has begun bracing up for rollout of 4th Generation (4G) services.
Reliance Industries Limited (RIL) has started discussions with the Government on launch of the ultra-broadband wireless internet services in the State. The State Housing and Urban Development department has asked RIL to submit a concrete proposal on development of infrastructure for the purpose.
While the company proposes to set up advanced base transceiver station (BTS) towers for handling the high bandwidth data transmissions, the State Government has asked it to furnish plans in adherence to the draft ‘Guidelines on installation of telecom towers in urban areas’ formulated by the Government.
Reliance Jio Infocomm, a subsidiary of Mukesh Ambani-controlled RIL, has got the licences for nationwide launch of 4G services across 22 circles, including Odisha. The telecom company has entered into a partnership with his younger brother Anil Ambani’s Reliance Communications for sharing the latter’s BTS sites as well as the optical fibre cable (OFC) network for rollout of 4G.
Reliance Communications has about 510 3G BTS sites and 25,000 km-long OFC network in Odisha. While sharing the infrastructure, RIL will have to set up its own infrastructure like 4G towers to give shape to the services, sources said.
The fourth generation broadband services will enable high speed data transfer and access to the tune of over 100 mbps while 3G speeds are limited to around 21 mbps at the fastest. The speed of data access can facilitate uninterrupted realtime audio-video streaming and sharing along with smooth video calling, chats and conferences. It is being hailed as a game-changer by facilitating everything that 3G could not.
In fact, 3G has failed to pick momentum in the State over the last two years. With three players, including BSNL, Reliance and Aircel, 3G services are available in only around 20 towns and cities as of now. The customer base is a measly around 4 lakh while total mobile subscribers in the State have crossed 2.40 crores.
According to sources, the main hurdle for 3G in Odisha has been lack of coverage coupled with high tariffs. Despite proclaiming high speed connectivity and data transfers, actual user experience has not been up to the mark.
The service providers, though, have begun to slash prices to drive adoption among consumers.