Chennai has been waiting a long time now for 4G LTE and things are looking positive now with Airtel being the first career to provide it. They did not even buy the spectrum at the initial auction. It took them a while, but the roll-out was quick.
Last week, we were invited to the Airtel HQ in Chennai to test their newly launched 4G network. So, here’s how you can get 4G on your device if you’re an existing Airtel customer:
Visit www.airtel.com/4g and enter your number and address. You will get a 4G ready SIM sent to your house. Instead, you could also walk into one of the Airtel stores and get them. Once you have the sim, the activation takes 30 minutes and then you’re ready to go.
4G in Chennai is still in it its beta stages. So, if you already have a 3G plan, you can use it with 4G. As simple as that! Also, if you do not have a 4G ready device, you can get a USB dongle for Rs. 1,500 and a Wi-Fi Hotspot for Rs. 2,300.
Airtel 4G has been in Bangalore for a while now. Last weekend, I was on a road trip to Bangalore and I decided to test their network. Obviously, once I crossed Bangalore, I did not have any 4G reception. But, I received 3G all the time till I reached Bangalore which was very impressive. Once I was in Bangalore, I had my 4G again. Comparing the 4G network in Bangalore and Chennai, the speeds are pretty similar.
I constantly got speeds of anywhere between 10Mbps to 20Mbps. Some people got beyond that too going upto 30Mbps. It is really exciting to have 4G finally being rolled out in Chennai. Hope they can come up with better plans with higher volume usages. Only then, 4G could become a true companion to someone on the road.
@nextgenguy Hi! We are glad that you are enjoying our 4G services. Please let us know if any assistance is required. Regards, Anuj
— Bharti Airtel India (@Airtel_Presence) May 25, 2015
Hello LTE on iPhone 6! pic.twitter.com/eOXnIHphsW
— Varun (@varunkrish) May 14, 2015
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