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technology

4G to hit India by 2013

Pankaj

• 1 min read

Bangalore: After the end of the much hyped and delayed 3G auctions in India, which is yet to see full implementation, it is 4G implementation that is going to make big changes in the fast growing telecom market in India by 2013.

“Soon after the success of 3G auctions, we have proactively started exploring 4G technology. Trai has already floated consultation papers regarding 4G. The technology is likely to make headway into India by around 2013,” said Vijayalakshmi Gupta, Member (Finance), Department of Telecommunications.

The 4G networks will allow users to stream mobile multimedia, such as TV broadcasts and online games, with speeds of up to 20 times that of 3G networks.

Speaking at the 6th 3G India 2010 conference, organized by Bharat Exhibitions, Gupta said, 3G it will drive the next round of sustainable growth for the Indian market through convergence of entertainment, infotainment and voice communications into a single device. “The key drivers of 3G growth in India will be innovative content, improved customer services and increased affordability of handsets,” added Gupta.

The exponential growth witnessed in Indian telecom sector has made it stand strong with a subscriber base of over 688 million as well as over all tele-density of 58 percent. Commenting on the post 3G era in the Indian telecom industry, she said that after 3G rollout, while video-on-demand and other live-streaming services are likely to gain prominence among the high revenue generating customers, enhanced bandwidth may also lead to increased usage of existing mobile Value Added Services.

With the switch to 4G, the VAS market, which is currently worth around Rs.12,000 crore, will generate more revenues in the wireless industry. The share of VAS in wireless revenue is likely to increase to 12-13 percent by 2011. This growth would be driven by increased operator focus on VAS due to continuous fall in voice tariffs, increased penetration of feature rich handsets, availability of vernacular content and increased user adoption of VAS applications.