MTNL to launch India's first ever 3G services soon

New Delhi: State-owned telecom operator Mahanagar Telephone Nigam (MTNL) will launch the first ever 3rd Generation (3G) mobile services in the country on trial basis in Delhi by the end of the current month.

The trial network, to be in and around the Capital's Connaught Place area, will give people a feel of high speed data and video streaming which come as part of the 3G services.

"Indoor trial of 3G in Delhi has already been completed," the Ministry of Communication and Information Technology said in a statement.

MTNL has already got in place the core equipment for the purpose and is presently mobilising the necessary radio equipment, the Ministry said.

The company will formally launch the 3G services in Delhi by the end of this year, while Mumbai will get theses services in the next year, the Ministry stated.

To roll out the 3G services, MTNL had been allocated the necessary spectrum by Department of Telecommunications (DoT) as DoT recently allocated one block of spectrum each to MTNL in Delhi and Mumbai and to BSNL in other service areas.

MTNL plans to provide 3G services by installing 3G GSM core capacity of 7.5 lakh lines each in Delhi and Mumbai. These lines are currently being installed.