Tata Docomo 3G Services Go Live This Diwali; Services to be Rolled Out on November 5 in 8 Circles

Post the 3G auctions that were held in April this year, Bharti Airtel, Reliance and Aircel bagged the largest number of circles (13 apiece), Idea got 11 and Vodafone 9 circles. However, Tata DoCoMo who was awarded 8 circles for Rs. 5,864 Cr, seems to have become the dark horse, as it is going to be the first private carrier to announce the launch of 3G services in India.

Reports suggest the services will be rolled out on November 05 to coincide with Diwali. Meanwhile, new DoCoMo ads have hit TV screens in India as a build-up to the event. News on tariffs are yet to be received and there is a general expectation that Tata DoCoMo will have competitive tariff plans, which will set high competitive standards for other operators who will look to launch their 3G services soon. Also, users will be looking forward to the kind of services they offer.
DoCoMo’s 3G services will be available in Maharashtra, Gujarat, Karnataka, Kerala, Punjab, Haryana, Uttar Pradesh (West), Rajasthan and Madhya Pradesh/ Chattisgarh.
Of the other operators, Vodafone has announced that it has chosen Nokia Siemens as its partner to help launch 3G services in India. Vodafone has licenses for 9 circles including Delhi and Mumbai, and Nokia Siemens will look after supply, implementation and management in 6 of these 9 circles which are – Tamil Nadu, Gujarat, Maharashtra, Uttar Pradesh (East), rest of West Bengal and Haryana. It seems like the race has begun, and Tata DoCoMo has become a front runner announcing to roll out 3G first.