Tata DOCOMO will be the first private operator to launch 3G services in India during this Diwal in partnership with Japan’s NTT DOCOMO. The company will launch 3G services in 9 circles of Karnataka, Kerala, Madhya Pradesh-Chhattisgarh, Rajasthan, Gujarat, UP (West), Punjab, Haryana and Maharashtra in 2 days 10hrs according to a countdown timer on the company’s website.
Tata DOCOMO’s HSPA+ 3G Network, set up with the assistance of NTT DOCOMO, supports high-speed Internet access with speeds of up to 21.1 Mbps. Technical literature often refers to this as ‘3.5 G+’. The network also supports high-definition voice (HD Voice) for a superior voice experience on calls.
3G devices such as handsets, dongles and tablets, powered by Tata DOCOMO applications and services, will take the Internet world to the far corners of the country, bridging the Digital Divide and creating a strong multiplier effect for economic progress.
“Tata DOCOMO’s 3G services will provide customers a dual advantage—trusted service from the House of Tata, riding on the technological excellence of NTT DOCOMO,” Mr Anil Sardana, Managing Director, Tata Teleservices Limited, said. “We have been able to complete the ramp-up of our network to support 3G services due to the superb 3G-ready network we created at the time of our 2G launch itself, last year. Our 3G rollout across all nine Circles will be completed this year itself,” he added.
“We have cherry-picked the best telecom Circles in the country from the perspective of cumulative market potential for our 3G services. We will cover 51% of Indian towns with a population of over a million and 60% of towns that have over half-a-million people. Additionally, our footprint covers 55% of households with an annual income of over Rs 3 lacs, and 49% households in the SEC A+B category. All these parameters provide us with fantastic market reach and potential,” Mr Sardana added.
“NTT DOCOMO warmly congratulates Tata Teleservices Limited on its rollout of 3G services,” Mr Ryuji Yamada, President and CEO of NTT DOCOMO, INC., said. “After nearly a decade of success in providing 3G service in Japan, we are delighted to have lent our technical and business knowhow to TTSL, our strategic global partner. Going forward, NTT DOCOMO will continue to leverage its mobile expertise and value-added services in markets worldwide through collaboration with partners such as Tata Teleservices Limited.”
“While 3G as the next-generation of mobility brings with it better voice clarity through HD Voice, fewer call-drops and high-speed Internet access, the impact it is likely to have on consumers’ lives is much greater than any of these improvements alone,” Mr Deepak Gulati, Executive President, Mobility Business Division, Tata Teleservices Limited, said. “Our 3G services will enable richer communication through video calls and SMSs, will add the advantage of adding mobility to the power of the Internet, and will enable millions to start accessing the true power of the Internet. Truly, it’s not a step up in mobility services, but the gateway to an altogether new life—3G Life.”
Tata DOCOMO’s 3G offering starts off on a rich and heady note, with the introductory service portfolio itself including applications like Video-SMS, Video-Streaming, Mobile Television, Ultra-High-Speed Data Transfers, Route-Finder, Live Aarti, and much more. Progressively, NTT DOCOMO will bring to India the various 3G products and services that will give Tata DOCOMO customers a flavor of tomorrow. NTT DOCOMO is closely working with TTL on future technologies like Long-Term Evolution (LTE) and much more.