Telecom operator Bharti Airtel on Monday said it has augmented its mobile network in Jammu and Kashmir and Ladakh to deliver the best indoor network experience to its customers by deploying 5 MHz in 900 MHz spectrum band for high-speed data services. With over 5.59 million customers, the Airtel network covers 91.13 per cent population in the two union territories. Airtel said the high propagation and reach of 900 MHz spectrum enables wider network availability and improved data speeds along with better coverage inside homes and buildings in urban and rural areas.
This augmentation complements recently deployed 30 MHz additional spectrum across Jammu and Kashmir and Ladakh and would further strengthen the network capabilities benefitting the access of high-speed data services to customers, it said. “The deployment of 5 MHz in the 900 MHz spectrum band for high-speed data services is in line with our endeavour to deliver deep indoor and wider reach to our customers across J&K and Ladakh. We continue to invest aggressively in network upgrades and new spectrum to deliver world class service experience at a time when our customers need it the most,” said Manu Sood, Hub CEO, upper north, Bharti Airtel.
He said Airtel has the largest spectrum bank at 71.2 MHz in J-K and Ladakh with 40 MHz in 2,300 MHz band, 25 MHz in 1,800 MHz plus 2,100 MHz bands, and 6.2 MHz in 900 MHz band. Following the pandemic, the adoption of work from home, online classes and video streaming have witnessed a massive surge, Sood said, adding that Airtel’s intervention to build additional capacities will go a long way in helping customers stay connected. Airtel has also deployed advanced network technologies and tools such as pre-5G Massive MIMO, 4G Advanced and Carrier Aggregation to step up high-speed network capacity and coverage, he said.
