Apple CEO meets Bharti Airtel chief

New Delhi, May 20 : Apple CEO Tim Cook on Friday met Sunil Mittal, chairman of one of India's leading telecommunication company Bharti Airtel at its office.

Speaking on the importance of 4G, Cook earlier told TV news channel NDTV: "You will see a reliable signal quality after 4G which is critical for India's progress.”

India's biggest mobile operator Bharti Airtel and Reliance Jio are set to roll out commercial 4G services across the nation this year.

According to a recent report by global investment advisory CLSA, IndiaÂ’s 3G and 4G subscribers have tripled to 120 million in 24 months but as affordability increases, the market will expand to 300 million by March 2018.

These 300 million subscribers will account for 60 percent of sector revenues. Bharti Airtel and Reliance Jio, the only operators with pan-India 4G spectrum in 2,300 MHz, will lead this opportunity.

"We expect total smartphone numbers to rise from 220 million at present to 350 million by March 2018, of which 210 million will be 4G, thus smartphone penetration is unlikely to be a constraint," the report added.

The report said network speeds too are on the rise led by aggressive 3G and 4G rollouts by operators, and availability of relevant content is multiplying, thus mass adoption of 3G and 4G services appears mainly constrained by current data pricing.