Chandigarh, Oct 18, 2019:  In line with its plans to phase out 3G technology across India, Bharti Airtel (“Airtel”) today announced that it has shut down its 3G network in Punjab. Airtel mobile broadband services in Punjab will now be available to customers on its high speed 4G network along with HD quality VOLTE calling.

All customers on Airtel 3G were duly notified and requested to upgrade their handsets/SIMs to continue enjoying best-in-class smartphone experience on Airtel 4G. Customers who are yet to upgrade their 3G handsets/SIMs will continue to get access to high quality voice services. Airtel will continue to provide 2G services in Punjab to serve the connectivity needs of customers on feature phones.

Manu Sood, Hub CEO- Upper North, Bharti Airtel said: “The existing smartphone ecosystem has clearly shifted towards 4G devices as customers look to upgrade to high speed 4G services. In Punjab, the deployment and augmentation of 4G (LTE 900) and re-farming of 3G spectrum is in line with our national strategy of focusing on serving quality customers with best-in-class service experience.”

In Punjab, the re-farming of 3G spectrum (900 Mhz) to 4G(LTE 900) shall further boost the network capacity and wider availability of Airtel 4G services across the state. Airtel has deployed the 900 MHz band spectrum to further strengthen its 4G network in the state. With this, Airtel now offers high speed 4G on a solid tri-band spectrum bank - 900 Mhz (LTE 900), 1800 Mhz (FD LTE) and 2300 Mhz (TD LTE) to deliver best-in-class mobile broadband experience to customers.