RCom launches pan-India GSM service

Reliance Communications (RCom), the subsidiary of Anil Dhirubhai Ambani Group Tuesday launched its Global System for Mobile (GSM) Communication service in Mumbai targeting to expand it across the country with an estimated budget of Rs. 10,000-crore on pan-India dual technology service license.

RCom, the second largest mobile operator after Bharti Airtel, has already been providing the Code Division Multiple Access (CDMA) service in over 20,000 towns and 4,50,000 villages with nearly 60 million subscribers across the country.

Now, with an aim to double its service by availing dual technology, the company is targeting to cover more than 11,000 towns and 340,000 villages in GSM technology, official sources said.

Anil Ambani, the Chairman of ADAG while inaugurating its service at a Reliance Centre in Mumbai said that RCom has achieved the target much earlier in comparison to others. ‘The company had invested Rs.100-billion in GSM service and achieved the target six month before the scheduled time,’ he said.

Now, the mobile customers would have a wider choice for selecting Reliance subscription, said Anil, and added that both (CDMA and GSM) would support to each other.

After launching this service on both technologies, RCom is now the first nation-wide mobile operator after state run Bharat Sanchar Nigam Limited (BSNL) and Mahanagar Telephone Nigam Limited (MTNL) those too provide same services but in some selected regions.

RCom is already operating its GSM network in eight regions of the country and now after dual technology pan-India license, it would expand its service in the remaining part of the country.

Reliance is also eyeing to participate in the 3G spectrum auction scheduled in the next month for dual technologies and it has assigned Rs.4,000-crore for auctioning.

Reliance has initiated its first operation on December 28, 2002 on the occasion of Company’s founder late Dhirubahi Ambani’s 70th birthday and after six years of originating the company, RCom has launched another mobile services in the form of GSM.