Vodafone to extend 4G network to 2,400 towns by March 2017

It has invested Rs 3,350 cr in H1FY17; has 200 mn subscribers of which 69.6 mn are data subscribers

Leading telecom player Vodafone said it would extend its SuperNet 4G network to 2,400 towns nationwide by March 2017. In the next one month, the telecom operator aims to make its 4G mobile services available in 17 circles across the country, which account for 90 per cent of its service revenue.

"Vodafone's pan India investment in the April-September period of this fiscal is Rs 3,350 crore. We have invested in creating a future fit network. Vodafone strengths lie in the technologies that have been used," said Arvind Vohra, operations director at Vodafone India. "For us, the self-optimising network has been the differentiator and we have the largest deployment of this network."

Vodafone's total investment on India's operations stands at Rs 1.19 lakh crore. It has more than 200 million subscribers of which 69.6 million are data subscribers. Data traffic is growing 72 per cent year-on-year (y-o-y), contributing 20.8 per cent to Vodafone's service revenue.

Vohra said that under the SuperNet 4G network, Vodafone subscribers get an assured average browsing speed of 12-18 Mbps while potentially, the speed could go up to 100 Mbps.

"Our focus is on enhancing and enriching the customer experience. Vodafone has a customer centric approach and we believe in delivering on the promises that we make", he added.

Vodafone announced the roll-out of its 4G service for Odisha following successful launch earlier in 15 circles.

"Odisha is a key market for Vodafone India and as one of the leading telecom service providers, our over four million customers in the circle have a lot to look forward to. Beginning with Bhubaneswar, the capital city and a key centre for both trade and tourism, we will shortly expand the SuperNet 4G service across the entire state in a phased manner", said Deepak Saluja, business head (Odisha circle), Vodafone India.

Vodafone has already invested Rs 2,000 crore in Odisha which includes Rs 100 crore of investment in the April-September period of this fiscal.

The operator has 4.3 million subscribers in Odisha, covering 74 per cent of the population. It serves customers through seven exclusive company owned outlets and over 50,000 retail points.