Investing heavily in 4G; to launch by December: Vodafone

Scarcity of spectrum and shortage of towers are the key reasons for call drops, says Sunil Sood, CEO, Vodafone India. He tells CNBC-TV18 the company is working to resolve the problem of call drops and will deliver better quality calls over time.On the much awaited 4G launch, he says it is expected to rollout in multiple towns by the end of this year. "We are investing in 4G where we have the spectrum and we think that we have a very good 1800 MHz spectrum in these places and we will be able to deliver far better quality to our customers", he adds.Below is the transcript of Sunil Sood’s interview with Kritika Saxena on CNBC-TV18.Q: What are your views on the call drops issue?A: As a responsible company, we take complete responsibility for all our products. There are certain problems, some in the environment and some with some of our stakeholders. Now, we need to work with each of the stakeholders in partnership to resolve each of these problems. It could be getting government buildings, it could be spectrum but we believe that we need to partner with the various stakeholders and get a resolution for each one of the products. After all, we are the primary deliverer to the customer and therefore for us it is most important that we give the best quality that is possible on each one of our products because that is what the customer trusts us for. Q: What has the conversation been so far?A: So, right now the Telecom Regulatory Authority of India (TRAI) has asked for a consultation with various stakeholders including consumer groups, companies, etc. Based on the feedback and comments that he will get from the various stakeholders, he will then come out with what he wants. Q: You have already announced that 4G is going to start commencing or you will start commencing 4G launch from December onwards. When will the 4G launch be complete across your five key circles and what is the plan as far as the pan India launch is concerned?A: The first few towns we are rolling out at the end of this calendar year and every few weeks there will be new towns coming up. We are investing in 4G where we have the spectrum and we think that we have a very good 1800 MHz spectrum in these places and we will be able to deliver far better quality to our customers. Q: Vodafone Plc has always maintained that the capital market is something that they would eventually want to tap. There have been couple of months for you as a CEO of Vodafone now, is that something you would look at in the near future? A: These are things our Plc board keeps evaluating from time-to-time in terms of how to look at investment and where they would like to dilute. These are not decisions which are made in India and as of now we have made no such decision to go out for a public IPO or any such thing but then every quarter there is a new board meeting and we would know soon what happens in the next meeting.