Idea Cellular which is in the process of expanding a pan-India foot print extended its reach to Assam with a planned network to cover 19 districts in the state with 500 cell sites. The move also marked the company’s presence in 21 circles of India.

Idea is banking on the low penetration of 22% in the state. The remaining six states namely Nagaland, Manipur, Meghalaya, Mizoram, Tripura and Arunachal Pradesh will also be covered by March’2010 with 450 cell sites.

In Assam the coverage includes 13 districts of Barpeta, Bongaigaon, Cacher, Dibrugarh, Jorhat, Kamrup, Karbi Anglong, Kokrajhar, Nagaon, Nalbari, Sibsagar, Sonitpur and Tinsukia. It plans to cover 1,400 villages by March next year.

Speaking at the launch, Mr. Ambrish Jain, Director - Operations, IDEA Cellular Ltd. said, "Launch of services in Assam is the last major milestone in IDEA's national expansion journey. The successful achievement of our mission to become a pan-India operator can be attributed to a sharp and focussed management strategy; excellent execution in network rollout, customer service and innovative product offerings; and the faith of 53 million IDEA subscribers across the country. IDEA's world-class mobile telephony services will now be available to over 32 million people in Assam, connecting them with the rest of the country, and driving mobile penetration in the region."

The retail network will comprise of 4,420 retail outlets and 35 exclusive showrooms by March.

Idea has also launched a Assamese portal, Asomi Aai Rupohi offering songs, movie reviews and other regional content.

However the company has not declared whether the now popular per second billing will be introduced in the state.