A Giant Leap?

Kolkata will see India’s leap to the fourth generation (4G) of telecom technology today, as the country’s largest service provider Bharti Airtel launches the service, giving a data download speed of 100 Mbps, compared to 21 Mbps in 3G. Bharti is the first to launch 4G since BWA spectrum was auctioned in June 2010. It has spectrum in four circles — Kolkata, Maharashtra, Karnataka and Punjab. Communications Minister Kapil Sibal, with Bharti Group CEO Sunil Bharti Mittal, will inaugurate the service where the telco has China’s ZTE as its network partner (Click on graphic)