4G (fourth generation) is the fourth generation of mobile telecommunications technology that succeeds 3G and precedes 5G. A 4G system does not support traditional circuit-switched telephony service, but all-Internet Protocol (IP) based communication such as IP telephony. In a 4G system, apart from the usual voice and other services of 3G, it also provides mobile broadband Internet access to laptops with wireless modems, to smartphones, and to other mobile devices. 4 G has a great potential and it being used in amended mobile web access, IP telephony, video conferencing, 3D television, gaming services, high-definition mobile TV and cloud computing. The 4G system was originally visualized by the Defense Advanced Research Projects Agency (DARPA).
Videocon Telecom has announced that it is looking forward to invest Rs. 1,200 crores over three years on high-speed 4G mobile services to be launched in UP and Bihar by the month of December this year at rates equivalent to that of 2G and 3G Internet services. The company has already started launching 2G services in UP East, UP West and Bihar. The company will also offer 4G mobile Internet plans bundled with mobile devices in these service areas. The company will use its entire spectrum in 1800MHz band for 4G service. Videocon telecom has got the permit to operate in 7 service areas – Haryana, Madhya Pradesh, Bihar, Punjab, Gujarat, Uttar Pradesh East and West.
Videocon Telecom has partnered with telecom equipment firms Huawei and Nokia Networks as its technology partner to launch 4G service in 29 cities in those service regions. Deloitte will serve as its consulting partner. Telecom equipment firms have claimed to have achieved 4G mobile broadband speed of about 68 megabit per second (Mbps) in India.
Bharti Airtel launched India’s first 4G service, using TD-LTE technology, in Kolkata on April 10, 2012. Bharti Airtel 4G services are available in states like Kolkata, Bangalore, Pune and Chandigarh region. Bharti Airtel is the first in India to have launched the 4G on mobiles in Bangalore on 14th Feb, 2014. Bharti Airtel in the month of July 2014, expanded 4G services to many cities in Punjab region like Ludhiana, Jalandhar, Phagwara Amritsar, Patiala, Hoshiarpur, Ajitgarh, and Kapurthala. RIL is also rolling out 4G services through its subsidiary, Jio Infocomm. RIL 4G services are currently available only in Jamnagar. Aircel in July last year, launched 4G in four circles Bihar, Telangana, Assam and Odisha.