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Tata Group Announces Pan-India GSM Service with NTT DOCOMO

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Announcement Corporate
Last Updated : Jan 20 2013 | 9:33 PM IST

Service to be Branded 'TATA DOCOMO'

  • TATA DOCOMO to launch commercial services later this month
  • Exciting new brand to redefine the Indian telecom experience
  • Investment of $2 billion for pan-India GSM network rollout
  • NTT DOCOMO, Japan is the undisputed global leader in the 3G space

Tata Teleservices Limited has announced that its pan-India GSM service will be branded TATA DOCOMO—powered with cutting-edge technology support from its partner company NTT DOCOMO, INC. of Japan. NTT DOCOMO is acknowledged as the global leader in 3G technology and respected worldwide for its futuristic product innovations.

TATA DOCOMO will shortly commence the commercial launch of its GSM operations, beginning with the telecom Circles in South India.

“TATA DOCOMO is a natural choice of GSM brand-name for us, since it will provide customers a dual advantage—trusted service from the House of Tata, riding on the technological superiority of NTT DOCOMO,” Mr Anil Sardana, Managing Director of Tata Teleservices Limited, said. “TATA DOCOMO will bring to the country products and services that will redefine the Indian telecom experience. Our pan-India rollout should be completed this year,” he added.

In his address, Mr Toshinari Kunieda, Senior Vice-President and Managing Director, Global Business Division, NTT DOCOMO, said: “NTT DOCOMO has provided technical inputs to make the TATA DOCOMO GSM network world-class. Progressively, NTT DOCOMO shall bring to India the various products and services that we offer in Japan—such as i-modeTM, LBS and mobile payment—and give TATA DOCOMO customers a flavor of tomorrow. We are closely working with Tata Teleservices on future technologies like 3G and Long-Term Evolution (LTE).”

The company unveiled a strikingly different logo—one that underscores the brand’s promise of providing ‘refreshingly different and a liberating experience’. “As a partnership of two pioneering brands, TATA DOCOMO promises to deliver relevant new applications and services that will make everyday life simpler and more enjoyable for the consumer,” Mr Deepak Gulati, President, GSM Business, Tata Teleservices Limited, said. “In a market that is cluttered with many operators and confusing options, we will offer simplicity to consumers by being the country’s most transparent, innovative and liberating telecom brand,” he added.

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Superior Technology and Network
From the day of the launch itself, the reach and coverage of the TATA DOCOMO GSM network will be far greater than that of any other operator in India at the launch stage. TATA DOCOMO GSM mobile service will have extensive coverage in cities and towns, on national and state highways, at airports and along rail routes, and at places of tourist interest, etc. TATA DOCOMO looks forward to mobile number portability so that Indian consumers can move to their service provider of choice, while retaining their phone numbers.

NTT DOCOMO has played a major role in the evolution of mobile telecommunications through its development of cutting-edge technologies and services. Over the years, technologists at NTT DOCOMO have defined industry benchmarks for 3G technology, as also products and services such as i-mode and a plethora of lifestyle-enhancing applications. Today, while most global telecom players are only beginning to talk of 4G technology and its possible applications, NTT DOCOMO has already recorded a downlink transmission rate of 250 Mbps over a high-speed wireless network in an outdoor test of an experimental system for Super 3G, also known as LTE, and is targeting to complete the commercial development by the end of 2009. This will hold TATA DOCOMO in good stead as it launches GSM services.

TTSL and NTT DOCOMO are closely engaged in integrating technology, value-added services, products and applications through the mechanism of Business and Technology Cooperation Committee (BTCC). BTCC, which meets regularly, comprises of senior management representatives from both companies.

About NTT DOCOMO
NTT DOCOMO is the world’s leading mobile operator and provider of advanced mobile services. The company serves over 54 million customers in Japan, including 48 million using i-mode™, the world’s most popular mobile e-mail/Internet platform, and 49 million using FOMA™, the world’s original 3G mobile service based on W-CDMA. As a leader in the development of cutting-edge mobile technologies, DOCOMO is continually expanding the role of mobile phones as versatile and highly personalized "lifestyle tools" for everyday life, including with a wide range of innovative services for mobile payments, GPS, mobile TV, multimedia content and much more. NTT DOCOMO is listed on the Tokyo (9437), London (NDCM) and New York (DCM) stock exchanges. For more information, visit www.nttdocomo.com.

FOMA and i-mode are trademarks or registered trademarks of NTT DOCOMO, INC. in Japan and other countries.

About TATA DOCOMO
TATA DOCOMO is Tata Teleservices Limited’s telecom service on the GSM platform—arising out of the Tata Group’s strategic alliance with Japanese telecom major NTT DOCOMO in November 2008. TATA DOCOMO has received a license to operate GSM telecom services in 19 telecom Circles and has also been allotted spectrum in 18 of these Circles. It will roll out its services shortly, starting with South India. TATA DOCOMO marks a significant milestone in the Indian telecom landscape, as it stands to redefine the very face of telecoms in India. Tokyo-based NTT DOCOMO is one of the world’s leading mobile operators—in the Japanese market, the company is the clear market leader, used by over 50 per cent of the country’s mobile phone users. DOCOMO, the world’s leading mobile operator, will work closely with the Tata Teleservices Limited management and provide know-how to help the company develop its GSM business.

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First Published: Jun 10 2009 | 7:32 PM IST

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