RCOM set to migrate CDMA customer base to 4G network

Reliance Communications (RCOM) has informed the Department of Telecommunications (DoT) that it will begin the phased migration of its roughly five million CDMA customers to a 4G LTE network from 4 May, writes the Economic Times. According to people familiar with the matter, RCOM will initially upgrade its CDMA network to LTE in the four circles of Haryana, Punjab, Himachal Pradesh and Odisha, followed by Mumbai and Delhi, before completing the process by mid-August. The move follows the signing of a strategic partnership between RCOM and Reliance Jio Infocomm (RJIL), covering the transfer and sharing of frequencies in the 800MHz band, at the start of this year. Under the deal, RCOM agreed to sell 800MHz frequencies in nine circles to RJIL, whilst the duo will share 800MHz band spectrum in 17 circles.