Idea Cellular launches 4G ahead of Reliance roll-out

Company has covered a handful of towns immediately across South India, remaining will be covered by March 2016

Idea Cellular Ltd , India's third-biggest mobile phone operator, launched high speed fourth-generation (4G) mobile phone services across South India on Wednesday, beating the long-awaited debut of rival Reliance Jio.

Idea said a handful of major towns were covered immediately, but all towns and cities in Andhra Pradesh, Karnataka, Kerala, Tamil Nadu and Telangana would be covered by March 2016.

Reliance Industries Ltd , headed by India's richest man Mukesh Ambani, is yet to announce a date for its own roll-out of what will be the nation's biggest 4G broadband network.

The impact of that release, however, has already been felt, with pressure increasing on the country's heavily indebted telecoms firms - including Reliance Communications , owned by the younger Ambani brother, Anil Ambani. RCom announced on Tuesday that it was in talks with rival Aircel to create India's second-largest mobile operator.