Multiple mobile handset vendors as well as OEMs are in collaboration with telecom operators in India for faster 4G LTE network rollout. India uses TD-LTE technology for the deployment of 4G networks over Band 40 (2300 MHz). Earlier, this technology was being used only by China and India but now, more and more countries in Asia are adopting it due to its lower cost of deployment when compared to LTE FDD.

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Airtel 4G LTE Data Cards

Airtel 4G LTE Data Cards

Nokia is in talks with all the Indian operators who have 4G licenses to adopt its 4G LTE compatible handsets. Nokia says that their handsets are 4G ready since 2012 but I am not sure if they are compatible with 4G LTE bands in India. Recently, they have launched the Nokia Lumia 635 which they claim is their cheapest smartphone with 4G connectivity but it is compatible with 1800 MHz band only and not 2300 MHz. Not even high-end devices like Lumia 1520 and the upcoming Lumia 930 are compatible with 2300 MHz band.

But, Bharti Airtel, Idea Cellular, Vodafone India and Reliance Jio Infocomm have also bought licenses for band 1800 MHz with the intention of offering 4G services. So, chances are that Nokia might launch special 4G versions of its Lumia smartphones with 4G capability in India as they further with tie-ups with operators. This means that Indian consumers have to wait a bit to use 4G on these phones as there is still time when operators start using this new 1800 MHz band.

Apple on the other hand, has launched iPhone 5S and iPhone 5C last year in India, both of which support all 4G LTE networks which are being used worldwide, thanks to the latest multi-mode LTE radio chip from Qualcomm (most probably MDM9x15). Both the devices support Cat 4 LTE which can do a maximum theoretical downlink speeds of 150Mb/s.