Vodafone India has started inviting the customers in Gujarat to upgrade their SIM to USIM (Universal Subscriber Identification Module), so that they can enjoy their upcoming 4G network in that region. For those of you who are new to the concept of USIM and how it differs from the normal SIM, here is a brief– While a normal SIM supports 2G & 3G network, USIM supports 2G, 3G, 4G networks as well as JAVA applications. Also, the memory of normal SIM is 64 KB, whereas memory of USIM is 128 KB.
In February, Vodafone already announced its SuperNet 4G roll out in Gujarat and three other markets, making its 4G network available to nine circles. Vodafone uses 7.8MHz spectrum in 1800 MHz band to build the high speed data network on LTE Band 3.
The company acquired the spectrum in last two auctions and was waiting for the regulatory approval to get their airwaves into contiguous manner, which is ideal for LTE network. It also owns 3G network and 2G network running on 2100 and 900MHz spectrum.
Considering the present scenario, where its competitors are purchasing spectrums and gearing up for 4G launches in the circle, Vodafone’s early roll-out of 4G can benefit the company on a large scale. To say, Airtel purchased Videocon's spectrum in 1800 MHz band last month and is set for launching their own 4G network in the circle. Idea can bid for 4G airwaves in upcoming auction. Also, Vodafone owns maximum market share in the 'A' circle with almost 40% of total subscribers in their network.
Those customers, who are interested to shift to Vodafone USIM can visit the nearest Vodafone store, its mini store, or partner retailer store. The change of SIM is totally free of cost. A SIM change indicate that the 4G service will be launched in the circle in a nearby date.