Huawei launches LTE handset in India

This is in partnership with chipset maker Qualcomm and Bharti Airtel

Chinese telecom firm Huawei today launched the first LTE handset in the country in partnership with chipset maker Qualcomm and Bharti Airtel.

The Ascend P1 LTE is powered by Qualcomm's Snapdragon S4 processor and can handle high speed data on the LTE network. Voice calls are made on the available 3G or 2G network.

"LTE is the future of mobile communications, and faster data access experience will become a key area of differentiation for consumers when choosing their mobile devices," Huawei India CEO Cai Liqun told reporters here at the Innovation Qualcomm India 2012.

The companies are working on the pricing and the distribution plans of the handset.

"We took the lead in introducing India¿s first 4G service in Kolkata and continue to commit towards driving the country¿s broadband agenda. The availability of 4G voice and data compatible devices will play a defining role in massifying 4G, and driving its adoption," Bharti Airtel CEO ( India and South Asia) Sanjay Kapoor said.

Bharti Airtel is the only telecom player in the country that is offering 4G services in Kolkata and Bengaluru.

The company has BWA licenses for four circles which include Punjab, Maharashtra, Kolkata and Karnataka.     In May this year, Bharti Airtel acquired 49 per cent stake in Qualcomm's BWA business in India for around Rs 922 crore which entitled it to offer 4G services in Delhi, Mumbai, Haryana and Kerala.    

Qualcomm had won spectrum in these four circles through auction in June, 2010, and paid Rs 4,912.54 crore for the same.

"We are excited to announce the launch of India's first 4G LTE TDD multi-mode mobile device along with Qualcomm and Huawei, and are delighted to take the lead in setting technology standards for 4G devices in India," Kapoor added.

Bharti Airtel President B2C K Srinivas said he expects the device to be available in the "next couple of weeks".

The device is, however, not locked to Bharti Airtel and can be used with other operators when they launch their services in the country.

The handset is powered by Qualcomm's Snapdragon S4 processor with 1.5 GHz dual core CPUs and Android Ice Cream Sandwich operating system. It has 4.3-inch display and 8-megapixel camera with dual LED flash.

It is currently available in the UK.

"With this significant milestone, consumers in India will have the choice of enjoying high-speed mobile broadband experience using an LTE smartphone, said Avneesh Agrawal, senior vice president and president of Qualcomm India and South Asia said.