Indian mobile giant Bharti Airtel has cut prices for its 4G services below that of 3G, in a possible pre-emptive move aimed at preparing for the launch of 4G services by Reliance Jio Infocomm.
Airtel will charge heavy 4G users at below 3G rates, the Times of Indiareported. A 10GB data plan, for example, will cost 999 per month rupees for 4G ($16), compared to 1,499 for 3G.
Airtel will also shift existing 3G customers with a compatible smartphone to 4G plans at the same rates.
The operator currently offers 4G in 15 cities across India – Kolkata, Amritsar, Bengaluru, Chandigarh, Hoshiarpur, Jalandhar, Kapurthala, Ludhiana, Mohali, Nagpur, Nasik, Panchkula, Patiala, Phagwara and Pune.
The price cuts are seen as a pre-emptive response to the nationwide 4G rollout being undertaken by Reliance Jio Infocomm, the only Indian operator with a license to provide 4G in each of India's 22 telecom circles.
Overseas, Airtel has announced it has deployed an LTE network in Seychelles, Africa in partnership with Ericsson.
The company plans to deploy a nationwide 800 MHz LTE network. The first phase rollout is scheduled to cover 10,000 subscribers. The network is expected to launch later this year.