16.7.11

3G roaming pact

In an effort to reduce cost and offer pan-India 3G services, Vodafone, Bharti Airtel and Idea Cellular have started sharing their networks to provide seamless service to their customers. The three will now use each other's networks through inter and intracircle roaming arrangements where they do not have licences. However, nobody divulged the revenue-sharing arrangement among the operators. Roaming agreements — both inter and intra circle — are the norm in the Indian telecom industry since they help a service provider offer seamless service to its customers, the spokesperson added. Airtel, Aircel and Reliance Communications each own a 3G spectrum licence in 13 of the 22 telecom circles, while Vodafone has it in 10 circles and Idea and the Tatas in nine circles. Idea has entered into an intra-circle roaming arrangement with Vodafone for introducing 3G services in Delhi and Kolkata while Bharti Airtel will partner Idea in providing 3G services in Karnataka (primarily in Bangalore and Mysore). Meanwhile, Vodafone has started 3G services in Andhra Pradesh and Kerala through an agreement with Idea. Uttar Pradesh (West) is another circle where Vodafone plans to introduce similar services through Bharti Airtel's network. Similarly, Bharti Airtel has entered into intra-circle roaming agreements to share Idea's 3G network in Gujarat. Bharti Airtel has bagged a 3G licence for Delhi and Mumbai metros besides Andhra Pradesh, Karnataka, Tamil Nadu, Uttar Pradesh (West), Rajasthan, West Bengal, Himachal Pradesh, Bihar, North East, Jammu and Kashmir and Assam. Idea Cellular holds 3G spectrum for 10 telecom circles — Maharashtra and Goa, Gujarat, AP, MP and Chhattisgarh, Himachal Pradesh, UP (East) UP (West), Punjab, Haryana and Kerala.

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