Vodafone, BSNL ink 2G intra-circle roaming pact

Mumbai, Sep 11 (IANS) British telecom major Vodafone's Indian subsidiary and state-run BSNL on Sunday signed a 2G intra-circle roaming agreement to use each other's assets and network strength across the country, Vodafone India said in a statement here.

The agreement will help Vodafone expand its 2G network further, especially in rural areas, and also strengthens BSNL's network reach in urban areas, the statement said.

"This strategic partnering will lead to improved connectivity and enhance the customer experience overall," it added.

Vodafone India said it has over 1,37,000 transmission towers across the country, while BSNL has over 1,14,000 of these.

Commenting on the development, Vodafone India CEO Sunil Sood said: "We made significant investments to expand, enhance and upgrade our network, making Vodafone SuperNet our best network ever, world-class and future-fit. This partnering with BSNL will further strengthen the reach of our network, especially in the hinterland."

"This partnering with Vodafone will help us make our network coverage better, especially in urban areas, enabling our customers to have a better experience of our services," BSNL Chairman Anupam Shrivastava said in the statement.