Vodafone Readying Launch In Bihar

Vodafone (News - Alert) Essar, the reconstituted company of Hutch-Essar which is jointly run by telecom multinational Vodafone and Essar group has initiated the groundwork to start greenfield cellular networks in six new regions — Orissa, Bihar, Assam, North East, Himachal Pradesh and J&K. Vodafone Essar’s wholly-owned subsidiary Vodafone Essar Spacetel (formerly, Essar Spacetel) is holding the license for the same.

Cellular service in the Eastern states of India is currently enjoying strong growth with four major GSM service providers operating in those areas — Bharti Airtel, BSNL-CellOne, Reliance Telecom and Dishnet Wireless. Vodafone Essar is hoping to join in the fray.

Krishna Angara Vodafone Essar's director (eastern operations) is planning and coordinating immensely to plug the pre-launch activities in Orissa, Bihar and Assam and is also supervising the Kolkata and West Bengal operations.

"Dedicated Vodafone Essar teams are engaged in a mix of market studies and detailed cellular network planning in Orissa, Bihar and Assam circles. The mission is to subtly build greater awareness about the Vodafone brand in these new circles. Following the recent conclusion of Vodafone's Hutch Essar acquisition, the Vodafone brand is slated to be unfurled nationally later this year," according to the information provided by the sources.

Vodafone Essar Spacetel is anxious about the allotment of GSM spectrum from the DoT for the six new circles since based on the allocation, the company can arrive at the level of investment in its greenfield cellular network rollouts. The company has applied for 4.4 MHz of radio spectrum in all six circles. The company is also anxiously waiting for the licence to operate in Madhya Pradesh circle.