Airtel to launch 3G service in Karnataka

Bangalore, May 7 (UNI) Leading mobile telephone Operator Airtel was awaiting Regulators nod to start 3G services in Karnataka.

Talking to newspersons here today, Airtel Director (South) Deepak Mehrotra said the trial service of 3G network had been completed and the operator was awaiting the licence to start the operations.

Stating that Bangalore was a frontrunner in rolling out several new technologies in the past including Edge, he said in the last fiscal, Airtel added 50 per cent of the total mobile additions in Karnataka.

Out of 4.4 million new connections, Airtel's contribution was 2.2 million. Airtel's market share in the state had crossed 38 per cent, he added.

He said during the current fiscal, Airtel aimed to cover 100 per cent of highways, railways and gram panchayats in the State, taking its penetration level to 85 per cent from the current 67 per cent.

Karnataka had been ranked as a priority state for future investments, he said adding Airtel was poised to take a giant leap into the next level of network growth in the state this year.

UNI