Aircel - India
Aircel (India) uses 2 GSM bands, 1 UMTS band, and 1 LTE band. Find out if your unlocked phone or mobile device will work with Aircel (India). See the tables below for details.
Check device compatibilityCarrier website: http://www.aircel.com/
Aircel Limited was an Indian mobile network operator headquartered in Mumbai. It offered voice and 2G and 3G data services. Maxis Communications held a 74% stake in the company, while Sindya Securities and Investments held the remaining 26%. Aircel was founded by Chinnakannan Sivasankaran in 1999 and initially operated in the Tamil Nadu telecom circle. It became a market leader in Tamil Nadu and had significant presence in other regions such as Odisha, Assam, and the North-East telecom circles.
Aircel's services included prepaid and postpaid plans, Internet, broadband wireless access, and business communication solutions. The company also provided value-added services like GPRS, WAP portal, caller tunes, handsets GPS, mobile Internet, and music services.
In 2012, Aircel scaled down its operations in five telecom circles, including Madhya Pradesh, Gujarat, Haryana, Kerala, and Punjab. Despite efforts to merge with Reliance Communications, the deal was called off due to regulatory and legal issues. Aircel then considered merging with Bharti Airtel but ultimately filed for bankruptcy in 2018.
Aircel's coverage map shows its 2G, 3G, 4G, and 5G network presence across various cities in India, including Mumbai, Delhi, Bengaluru, Kolkata, Chennai, and others. The company had a significant subscriber base, with over 84.93 million subscribers as of December 2017, making it India's sixth-largest GSM mobile service provider.
Frequency Bands
GSM
| Name | Interface | Description |
|---|---|---|
| 900 MHz (E-GSM) | GSM | Aircel India uses the GSM 900 MHz (E-GSM) frequency band. |
| 1800 MHz (DCS) | GSM | Aircel India uses the GSM 1800 MHz (DCS) frequency band. This band is primarily used for GSM services and is known as Digital Cellular System (DCS) in some countries. The deployment of GSM 1800 MHz (DCS) began in 1991, with the extension of the GSM standard into the 1800 MHz frequency range. Since then, it has been widely used in various regions, including Europe, for mobile communication services. |
Supported GSM Protocols
| Name | Generation |
|---|---|
| EDGE | 2.5G |
UMTS
| Name | Interface | Description |
|---|---|---|
| B1 (2100 MHz) | UMTS | Aircel India uses the UMTS B1 (2100 MHz) frequency band. This band is widely used for 3G services and supports various networks and devices. It is supported by Aircel India for UMTS and HSPA+ protocols, enabling 3G and 3.5G (4G speed) services. |
Supported UMTS Protocols
| Name | Generation |
|---|---|
| UMTS | 3G |
| HSPA+ | 3.5G (4G speed) |
LTE
| Name | Interface | Description |
|---|---|---|
| B40 (TD 2300 MHz) | LTE | Aircel India uses the LTE B40 (TD 2300 MHz) frequency band for its 4G LTE network. This band supports high-speed data services using Time Division Duplexing (TDD) LTE technology. The deployment of this band in India began with the first auction in 2010, where the entire spectrum was sold. The band has been continuously used for LTE services since then, with significant adoption and support for a wide range of devices. |
Supported LTE Protocols
| Name | Generation |
|---|---|
| LTE | 4G |
