Bharti Airtel has announced that it has become the first telecom service provider in the country to successfully “demonstrate and orchestrate” live 5G service. The demonstration took place in the city of Hyderabad.
Airtel has tested the new 5G network over its existing liberalised spectrum in the 1800 MHz band through the NSA (non-standalone) network technology. Using dynamic spectrum sharing, Airtel claims it has seamlessly operated 5G and 4G connections from within the same spectrum block.
“We believe India has the potential to become a global hub for 5G innovation. To make that happen we need the ecosystem to come together – applications, devices and network innovation. We are more than ready to do our bit,” Gopal Vittal, MD & CEO, Bharti Airtel said.
How fast is Airtel 5G and when can you get it?
Airtel claims its new 5G network is capable of “delivering 10x speeds with 10x latency and 100x concurrency compared to existing technologies.” Speaking about the new 5G demonstration conducted in Hyderabad, Airtel shared that users were able to download a full-length movie in seconds on a 5G-enabled smartphone.
“The full impact of the 5G experience will be available to our customers, when the adequate spectrum is available and government approvals received,” shared Airtel.
Reliance Jio 5G also begins advanced 5G testing in India
Airtel’s biggest telco rival in India, Reliance Jio also recently announced that it has begun advanced 5G testing in India this year. The company also suggested that it could bring 5G in India as soon as this year.
“Jio will continue to accelerate the roll-out of its digital platforms and indigenously developed next-generation 5G stack and make it affordable and available everywhere,” Mukesh Ambani, Reliance Chairman said in a recent statement.
