After successful trial of 4G networks on Lean 4G technologies, Telenor’s Indian unit has now launched 4G in Lucknow, the largest city of Uttar Pradesh (UP). With this, Lucknow became the third city in the state to get Telenor 4G networks after Varanasi and Agra. Telenor India currently provides mobile services in UP (West), UP (East), Bihar (including Jharkhand), Andhra Pradesh (including Telangana), Maharashtra and Gujarat. Besides Varanasi, Agra, and Lucknow, Telenor’s 4G is available in Visakhapatnam, Amravati, and Anand, taking the toll to six cities across the country.

The service provider has been launching narrow-band LTE network on its 1800 MHz spectrum in the city using Huawei’s technology. The operator has also upgraded most of their cell sites to offer 4G services.

However, Telenor 4G on narrow-band LTE cannot offer the similar quality of service provided by other operators who offer 4G with at least 5 MHz spectrum. On a comparison note, Telenor 4G customers in Lucknow circle can get the speed of 3G, which is comparatively better than Telenor’s 2G speeds.

Telenor will make affordability a key factor in 4G as the operator has launched pocket-friendly data packs. The cheapest pack starts at Rs. 11, offering 100 MB 4G data usage for a day. After the expiry of the pack, a customer will be charged 4P/20KB. The operator also provides 1 GB of free data and all local and STD calls at 25 paisa per minute at Rs. 149. This Rs. 149 pack has a validity of 28 days. There is also a third pack, at Rs. 319, offering the subscribers 2 GB of free 4G data and 500 local and STD calling minutes. This pack too carries a validity of 28 days.

Many of our readers has reported a speed of 1-4Mbps (download) for Telenor 4G at various cities. Telenor 4G requires 4G-supported USIM, which can be availed from a nearby Telenor 4G store. The operator promises a fast and seamless SIM upgrade.

Meanwhile, there are rumours that Vodafone plans to buy the Telenor India unit for 1 billion USD. Telenor’s management has expressed its concern on its spectrum scarcity, which is a major hurdle for the operator to expand its operations. However, both the companies have not revealed any solid information on this acquisition plan.