Tata
Tele gears up for GSM launch
Business Standard — May 13, 2008
Tata Teleservices is gearing up for GSM-based telecom
service and has recently received spectrum for three circles.
"We have received spectrum for Orissa, Chennai and
he rest of Tamil Nadu," company's Head (East) &
COO (Kolkata circle), Sajiv Sinha, said here today on
the sidelines of launch of a cordless Walky Talky fixed
phone.
Asked about rollout plan for GSM-based mobile service,
he said no definite timeframe had been decided as rollout
and deployment of infrastructure was in the planning
stage and would depend on spectrum allocation.
According to the spectrum allocation condition, the
company would launch the service within the next one
year, Sinha said.
The Department of Telecommunication in March allowed
TTSL to introduce GSM-based telecom service in 20 circles.
Sources said national rollout would not be difficult
and it would not take more than six to eight months
to deploy the necessary infrastructure.
TTSL would use its existing CDMA-base station network
for the GSM launch.
"The investment will be minimal as we will use
the base stations of existing CDMA service. Th rest
of the infrastructure will cost a fraction of what we
have invested in base station installation," sources
said.
TTSL has about 14,000 base stations for CDMA service.
About the east, he said Tata Indicom CDMA service in
Assam and North East circles would be launched around
August 15.
TTSL would invest Rs 290 crore in rolling out its service
in Assam and the NE and would have 255 base stations.
During the current fiscal the company would invest
Rs 606 crore in the east with the maximum amount spent
on installing 713 new base stations, Sinha said.
"We are aiming to add another three million new
subscriber in the east during the year to double the
current customer base," Sinha said.
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