Indian Telecom operator Bharti Airtel today announced the successful completion of India’s first 5G trial. The 5G testing was done in the 700mHZ band in collaboration with Nokia. According to the company, it is also the first 5G trial in Eastern India that was held on the outskirts of Kolkata.
Randeep Singh Sekhon, CTO – Bharti Airtel said, “Back in 2012, Airtel launched India’s first 4G service in Kolkata. Today, we are delighted to conduct India’s first 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 by leveraging the enhanced propagation characteristics of the 700 MHz band. Airtel used Nokia’s 5G portfolio, including Nokia AirScale radios and standalone (SA) core.5G demo in the coveted 700 MHz band in the city to showcase the power of this technology standard. We believe that 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.”
Bharat Airtel successfully conducted India’s first 5G trial in the 700Mhz band in partnership with Nokia. According to the company, it has been allotted a test spectrum in multiple bands by the government’s Department of Telecommunications for the validation of 5G technology and use cases.
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 by leveraging the enhanced propagation characteristics of the 700 MHz band. Airtel used Nokia’s 5G portfolio, including Nokia AirScale radios and standalone (SA) core to conduct the 5G trial in India.
To recall, Airtel demonstrated India’s first 5G experience over a live 4G network earlier this year. It also showcased India’s first rural 5G trial and the first cloud gaming experience on 5G. Airtel has joined forces with leading global consulting and technology companies and brands to test 5G – based solutions as part of # 5GforBusiness .
Naresh Asija, VP and Head of Bharti CT, Nokia, said, “5G deployment using 700Mhz spectrum is helping communications service providers across the world to cost-effectively provide mobile broadband in remote areas, where typically it is challenging for them to set up the network infrastructure. Nokia is at the forefront in the development of the global 5G ecosystem, and we look forward to supporting Airtel on its 5G journey.”
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