Three Indian mobile phone operators, viz. Bharti Airtel, Idea Cellular and Vodafone, have team up with one another to provide pan-India 3G services to their customers.

The deal will make it possible for the customers to make use of the other two mobile phone operators’ 3G network in areas where their own operators do not provide 3G services.

Speaking on the deal, Vodafone said, “Vodafone has entered into a bilateral roaming agreement, both inter and intra circle, with Idea and Airtel to provide 3G services to our customers in the circles where we have not built our own 3G network, to bring a pan-India experience of 3G services to our customers.”

As no single operator of the three covers the entire country, they would allow their customers to make use of one another's network to ensure connectivity. Bharti Airtel offers 3G services in 13 circles, while Vodafone and Idea Cellular offer 3G services in 9 and 11 circles, respectively.

Idea has signed an intra-circle roaming deal with mobile phone operator Vodafone to introduce 3G services in Delhi and Kolkata circles, while Bharti Airtel has teamed up with Idea to offer 3G services in Karnataka— particularly in Mysore and Bangalore.

Vodafone has also signed roaming agreement with Idea to offer 3G services in states of Kerala and Andhra Pradesh. Vodafone will also launch the 3G service in Uttar Pradesh circle through a deal with Idea. Separately, Bharti Airtel will provide 3G services in Gujarat through an agreement with Idea.