Bharti Airtel has confirmed it will soon launch voice services on the fourth generation TD-LTE network. Pune will be the first city to get Airtel's 4G voice services and has already hired Nokia Siemens Networks to deploy its Circuit Switched FallBack (CSFB) voice solution in the operator’s live TD-LTE network in the city. With the move, Airtel will be first telecom operator in the country to offer combined voice and data plans on 4G network.

“We have the advantage of a pan-India GSM (Global System for Mobile Communications) and 3G networks. With the deployment of cutting edge CSFB (Circuit Switched FallBack) functionality, we will have the flexibility of using either or both the networks to support voice services on our TD-LTE (time division long-term evolution) standard platform,".

The CSFB technology allows the operators to transfer customers to the GSM platform to make and receive voice calls and access voicemails using 4G data services.

In the meanwhile, Reliance Industries (RIL) has also revealed its plans to launch 4G services later this year, though it didn't give any particular timeframe. Reliance has pan-India licence and is likely to be a key player in the segment. Analysts believe Airtel's entry in voice-based 4G services is likely to provide huge boost to the operator, which is right now the only player in the segment.