Government and Industry Unite to Support Mobile Broadband in India

Government of India, GSMA, COAI and TRAI Call for Greater Spectrum Allocation for Mobile Broadband Services

NEW DELHI, April 11, 2011 - The Honourable Minister for Communications & Information Technology of
India, the GSMA, the Cellular Operators of India (COAI) and the Telecoms
Regulatory Authority of India (TRAI) announced today that they will work
together to help facilitate growth of Mobile Broadband services across India.
Shri Kapil Sibal, the Honourable Minister for Communications & Information
Technology, Rob Conway, CEO, GSMA, Sanjay Kapoor, Chairman, COAI and CEO,
Bharti Airtel India & South Asia and Dr. J. S. Sarma, Chairman, TRAI outlined
this collaboration during the 'Mobile Broadband-India Empowering the Mobile
Ecosystem'* seminar which took place at the Imperial Hotel in New Delhi
today.

The growth of mobile communications in India is the result of a
successful partnership between the Indian government, the regulator and the
mobile community. This news demonstrates the shared commitment by all parties
to address the need for nationwide broadband connectivity. The seminar
focused on how Mobile Broadband, delivered using next-generation LTE
technology, can help connect all citizens across urban and rural areas, to
the Internet. This will further stimulate the Indian economy and provide
people, especially those in rural communities, with access to online
information, improving health, education and employment prospects, as well as
providing access to financial and government services.

Shri Kapil Sibal, the Honourable Minister for Communications &
Information Technology stated: "India has always been a global leader in
information technology, providing the world with much needed leadership and
direction in IT and research and development. However, it is time to bring
the Internet revolution to our rural communities and I believe Mobile
Broadband will play a significant role in achieving this. The Indian
government understands the need for wireless broadband connectivity and is
working towards making adequate spectrum available to support these
services."

Rob Conway, CEO, GSMA commented: "Mobile Broadband has transformed the
reach of the Internet, with more than 450 million connections across the
globe. Through sufficient spectrum allocation, India can become a leader in
the provision of Mobile Broadband and take advantage of the huge economic
benefits, which could generate more than INR 3,146 billion to India's GDP by
2020. We fully support the Indian government in its efforts to connect all
its citizens to the Internet and look forward to the early release of
spectrum in both the 700MHz and 2.6GHz bands in line with international
efforts."

Mr. Sanjay Kapoor, Chairman, COAI and CEO, Bharti Airtel India & South
said: "The global mobile industry achieved an important milestone last year
when mobile data traffic surpassed total voice traffic. With the exponential
growth of Internet users in India it is only a matter of time when we will
follow suit. In witnessing the rapid adoption of mobile voice services, I am
convinced that India will soon be at the forefront of next-generation Mobile
Broadband technology. COAI is committed to working with the GSMA, TRAI and
the government to meet the demands of Mobile Broadband and to provide
universal Internet connectivity that will empower and enrich the lives of
millions of Indians."

Dr. J.S. Sarma, Chairman, TRAI continued: "TRAI is committed to
developing an ecosystem to meet the need to connect our citizens in line with
the National Broadband Plan. Mobile Broadband will play a significant role in
meeting our target of 160 million broadband connections by 2014."

The seminar also addressed how improved spectrum access for Mobile
Broadband could transform the Indian economy. If India seizes the initiative,
the booming high-tech industry, in particular, could take a global lead in
developing low-cost Internet-capable HSPA, LTE and TD-LTE smart devices, as
well as related applications and services, for use across India and other
international markets.

Notes to editors

*Seminar hosted by the GSMA and COAI in New Delhi on 11th April 2011.
Additional speakers included senior representatives from Aircel, Bharti
Airtel, Boston Consulting Group, Ericsson, IDEA Cellular, Qualcomm, Tata,
Uninor and Vodafone Essar.

About the GSMA

The GSMA represents the interests of mobile operators worldwide. Uniting
nearly 800 of the world's mobile operators and more than 200 companies in the
broader mobile ecosystem, the GSMA is focused on innovating, incubating and
creating new opportunities for its membership and driving the growth of the
mobile industry.

For more information, please visit Mobile World Live, the online portal
for the mobile communications industry, at www.mobileworldlive.com or
the GSMA corporate website at www.gsmworld.com.

About COAI

COAI was constituted in 1995 as a registered, non-governmental society
dedicated to the advancement of communication, particularly modern
communication through Cellular Mobile Telephone Services. With a vision to
establish and sustain a world-class cellular infrastructure and facilitate
affordable mobile services in India, COAI's main objectives are to protect
the common & collective interests of its members. Prominent private service
providers and the infrastructure vendors are members of COAI, and work
closely on various Industry issues.

More about COAI at: (www.coai.in)

Priyanka Seth on behalf of the GSMA, +91-9810449951, priyankaseth at corvoshandwick.co.in