Telecom service provider Airtel has finally extended its 4G coverage in Kolkata to smartphone as well. The city was the first in India to get the operator’s 4G services, back in 2012. The services were limited to USB and WiFi dongles till now though. Users can now use Airtel’s 4G services on mobile phones as well.
“Kolkata witnessed the advent of 4G in 2012, and today, we are proud to announce the launch of the much awaited 4G on mobile, empowering residents in the city to upgrade to 4G,” said P.D. Sarma, hub CEO – WBO & NESA, Bharti Airtel (India).
With Kolkata added to the list, Airtel now has 4G services for smartphones in a total of 7 cities in India. These include Bangalore, Kolkata, Panchkula, Mohali, Chandigarh, Jalandhar and Ludhiana.
The company uses circuit-switch fallback technology in order to provide 4G connectivity. Airtel doesn’t have the Voice Over LTE (VoLTE) as of now. Subscribers will need a 4G compatible SIM card in order to use the 4G services. This can be obtained from any Airtel store. The data plans in this segment start from Rs 42.
