Idea Cellular would invest Rs 4,200-crore in 3G network infrastructures, including erecting around 16,000 towers by March, 2012. A total of Rs 10,000 crore will be invested in the 3G operations which include Rs 5,800-crore the company paid to secure licenses for spectrum in 11 circles.
Idea launched its 3G operations in 10 cities across three circles in Madhya Pradesh, Chhattisgarh, Himachal Pradesh and Gujarat, with a unique offering that also lets users pay per minute of usage, rather than on amount of data downloaded. The company plans to have 5,000 3G towers by March-end, 2011 and plans to scale-up to around 16,000 by March-end next year. By that time (March 2012), the company plans to cover 3,700 towns of the country.
The company, which controlled a 13.3% share of the market by revenues in the December quarter, is targeting to touch 200 towns by April 15 which will go up to 750 by May-end. The rest of the circles where it holds licences such as Kerala, Maharashtra, Uttar Pradesh (West), Haryana, Andhra Pradesh, Jammu and Kashmir and Uttar Pradesh (East) will see a roll-out by April 15.crackcrack
