Airtel launches first 4G smartphone Ascend P1 LTE in partnership with Huawei

Airtel and Huawei have announced the launch of India's first LTE-TDD smartphone in the country on Tuesday. Powered by Android 4.0, Huawei's Ascend P1 LTE supports 4G network services, but as the 4G network is currently only live in Kolkata, rest of Indian users won't be able to use 4G on the smartphone.

Ascend P1 LTE uses Circuit Switched Voice Fall Back technology to support voice calls over 3G, as under the current 4G license, Airtel can only provide 4G data services.

The smartphone is powered by 1.5GHz dual-core Qualcomm Snapdragon S4 processor, 1GB RAM, 4GB storage, 4.3-inch Super AMOLED qHD display with Gorilla Glass 2, and 8MP rear camera with dual LED flash.

Airtel had earlier this year became the first telecom operator in India to announce 4G services in Kolkata, but the telco plans to start the 4G services in Pune and Bengaluru.

"Over the last 15 years, Airtel has been at the forefront of India's telecom revolution and played an instrumental role in aligning the country's technology trends with the latest standards from across the globe. We are excited to announce the launch of India's first 4G LTE TDD multimode mobile device along with Qualcomm and Huawei," said Sanjay Kapoor, CEO - India & South Asia, Bharti Airtel.