Bharti Airtel has conducted India's first 5G trial in the 700 MHz band with mobile and telecom equipment manufacturing company Nokia. The demonstration, which was conducted on the outskirts of Kolkata, was also the first 5G trial in Eastern India.
Airtel has been allotted test spectrum in multiple bands by the Department of Telecommunications for the validation of 5G technology and use cases.
Leveraging the enhanced characteristics of the 700 MHz band, Airtel and Nokia were able to achieve high-speed wireless broadband network coverage of 40 Km between two 3GPP standard 5G sites in real-life conditions. Airtel used equipment from Nokia's 5G portfolio, which included Nokia AirScale radios and standalone (SA) core.
Also read: Dear Airtel, Voda, Jio: Stop punishing your postpaid users by asking them to pay more
Airtel Chief Technology Officer Randeep Singh Sekhon said the company has conducted India's first 5G demo in the coveted 700 MHz band in the city to showcase the power of this technology.
"With the right pricing of 5G spectrum in the upcoming auctions, India can unlock the digital dividend and build a truly connected society with broadband for all," said Sekhon.
Nokia VP and Head of Bharti CT Naresh Asija said 5G deployment, using 700Mhz spectrum, is helping communications service providers across the world to cost-effectively provide mobile broadband in remote areas, where it is challenging to set up the network infrastructure.
Earlier this year, Airtel had demonstrated India's first 5G experience over a live 4G network. It also demonstrated India's first rural 5G trial and the first cloud gaming experience on 5G. As part of 5G for Business, Airtel has also joined forces with leading global consulting and technology companies and brands to test 5G based solutions.
The Airtel stock is trading at Rs 761.95 today, which is Rs 3.05 or 0.40 per cent up, as compared to the previous session close of Rs 758.90 on the NSE.
Also read: Dear Airtel, Voda, Jio: Stop punishing your postpaid users by asking them to pay more