Vodafone Idea Ltd., India’s telecom service provider, has consolidated its radio network integration in Bihar and Jharkhand within a short span of just two months.
With this, Bihar and Jharkhand is amongst the first nine circles to complete integration in the world’s largest network integration exercise which is currently underway in India. The Bihar and Jharkhand circle integration which started in the month of December ’18 was completed within a very short span of just two months.
Vodafone Idea coverage is now available across 431 Towns and 43503 villages in Bihar and Jharkhand covering 79 % population. 4G coverage has expanded to over 45.3 % population in the region covering 56 Districts including 343 Towns and 19931 Villages in the region, for customers of both brands.
According to Monishi Ghosh, Business Head, Vodafone Idea Ltd., “The successful consolidation of network in Bihar and Jharkhand circle will enable over 17.1Mn customers of Vodafone and Idea to enjoy a unified network experience on 2G, 3G & 4G. We are deploying new age technologies to enhance customer experience as we are building a robust, future ready network in Bihar and Jharkhand”.
In other circles, network integration is taking place on a cluster-by-cluster basis and the subscribers of both Idea and Vodafone brands are gradually moving to a much larger and better network experience. Post integration customer enjoying high speed 4G services with faster connectivity.
Speaking about this mammoth network integration and consolidation project, Vishant Vora, Chief Technology Officer, Vodafone Idea Ltd. said, “With meticulous pre-merger planning and rigorous post-merger execution, we have ensured that our customers remain confidently connected and enjoy uninterrupted services even as we integrate and optimize our network in a phased manner across circles. We have partnered the best of global vendors and equipment suppliers to bring the best network experience for our customers.”
A focused, 3-pronged strategy is driving this consolidation of two individually strong and overlapping networks:
I. Make the better and dominant of the two networks in each circle as the anchor network
II. Complement anchor network with required support from the other network, and
III. Further enhance network capabilities and capacity with the introduction of new technologies such as Dynamic Spectrum Refarming (DSR), Spectrum Re-farming, M-MIMO and Small Cells.
This core strategy is being rigorously executed across all circles with meticulous planning and smart use of advances in technology by a team of experts from Vodafone Idea along with global vendors.
Further, war rooms have been set-up at national and circle levels to monitor and manage network performance on a real time basis led by Vodafone Idea’s 24/7 functioning world class SNOC in Pune. The company has undertaken special measures to avoid customer inconvenience with shifting, movement and deployment of equipment during the integration process.
