NewsVoir | 16 Mar, 2016
Idea Cellular, one of the largest Indian telecom operators, today announced the launch of its high speed 4G LTE services across 28 towns of its leadership market Maharashtra & Goa, covering major towns of Nagpur and Ahmednagar. With this launch, the company has delivered on its promise to launch its 4G LTE services in 10 circles within FY16, which covers 50% of Indian Mobility market but over 60% of Ideaâs revenue.
Starting Dec 23rd, 2015 Idea rolled out its 4G LTE services in 4 circles of south - Andhra Pradesh & Telangana, Karnataka, Kerala and Tamil Nadu & Chennai, 3 major circles of north â Madhya Pradesh & Chhattisgarh, Punjab and Haryana in February, followed by extension of services to 2 other circles Orissa and North East, and now in Maharashtra and Goa. Presently available in over 300 towns, Idea aims to exit FY16 with its 4G LTE services covering over 550 towns in these 10 circles, and plans to extend the 4G footprint to over 750 towns by June 2016.
Commenting on the successful rollout of services, Mr. Ambrish Jain, Deputy Managing Director, Idea Cellular said, âBeginning Dec 23, we have rapidly expanded our 4G LTE services in these 10 markets in a record time frame of just 3 months. We have revised our capex guidance for financial year 2016 from Rs.65 billion to Rs.75 billion mainly on account of accelerated 4G capex and associated fiber rollout and are fully geared up now to grow our presence, strengthen our portfolio and make more people join the digital bandwagon.â
Idea is the fastest growing telecom operator with an overall RMS of 18.9% as of Q3FY16 report of TRAI. Idea has 6.1 million 4G devices, nearly 6% of its subscriber base in these 10 telecom service areas, registered on its network. In comparison, on an All India basis, Idea has nearly 48.6 million customers owning 3G devices (approx. 28% of EoP) and over 9.8 million customers with 4G devices (approx. 5% of EoP).
Commenting on the partnerships and marketing campaign, Mr. Sashi Shankar, Chief Marketing Officer, Idea Cellular said, âWe have taken a holistic approach in order to increase the uptake of this high speed mobile data offering called 4G LTE. Partnerships with leading content aggregators, smartphone vendors, Ecommerce biggies and the launch of our customized 4G website is our first step ahead in the direction of augmenting the usage of mobile data services. With the rapid expansion currently taking place, we will soon be rolling out a nation-wide, 360 degree 4G marketing campaign to up the level of engagement with the target group.â
About IDEA Cellular
IDEA Cellular is Indiaâs 3rd largest national mobile operator, with over 170 million subscribers. With traffic in excess of 2 billion minutes a day, Idea ranks among the Top 6 country operators in the world. Using the latest in technology, Idea provides world-class service delivery through the most extensive network of customer touch points. Idea is listed on the National Stock Exchange (NSE) and the Bombay Stock Exchange (BSE) in India.
Idea was recognized as the Outstanding Company of the Year at CNBC TV18 India Business Leader Awards 2015, voted by investors as one of Asiaâs Best Companies in 2015 by Finance Asia in the categories of Best Managed Public Companies, Corporate Governance & Investor Relations. Brand Idea continued to win accolades for its marketing & advertising prowess in 2015. Ideaâs âNo Ullu Banaoingâ campaign has won marketing effectiveness and strategy awards nationally and at the APAC region, the Jay Chiat Award in New York along with WARC Grand Prix in Asia.
IDEA Cellular is an Aditya Birla Group Company, India's first truly multinational corporation. The Group ranks Number 4 globally and Number 1 in the Asia Pacific in the 2011 Top Companies for Leaders (TCFL) study conducted by Aon Hewitt, Fortune (the Global Business Magazine) and the RBL Group. It operates in 36 countries, and is anchored by more than 120,000 employees belonging to 42 nationalities. More information on Idea Cellular is available at www.ideacellular.com and on the Aditya Birla Group at www.adityabirla.com
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