NEW DELHI: Airtel has started testing its 5G network in Gurgaon’s Cyber Hub area. The telco is operating in the middle band spectrum of 3500 Mhz. Airtel is carrying out the trials in compliance with the guidelines of the Department of Telecommunications (DoT).
The 5G network of Bharti Airtel was able to deliver a throughput of over 1 Gbps speed, according to reports. DoT has allocated spectrum to Airtel in four Indian telecom circles including Mumbai, Kolkata, Bengaluru, and Delhi. The telco is likely to test the mid-spectrum in other regions of the country. The trial delivered a peak speed of over 1Gbps, according to a report by ET Telecom. The report notes that Airtel has been allotted the 5G trial spectrum in 3500 MHz, 28 GHz and 700 MHz. Reliance Jio and Vodafone Idea (Vi) have been allotted spectrums in the 700 MHz, 3.5 GHz and 26 GHz bands. The applicant TSPs include Airtel, Reliance Jio, Vodafone Idea and MTNL.
Airtel is working with Ericson 5G network gear for its 5G trials. Last month DoT gave permissions to Telecom Service Providers (TSPs) to conduct trials for use and applications of 5G technology in India. The TSPs have tied up with original equipment manufacturers and technology providers which are Ericsson, Nokia, Samsung and C-DOT. Further, Reliance Jio will be conducting trials using its own indigenous technology. The duration of the trials, at present, is for a period of 6 months, which includes a time period of 2 months for procurement and setting up of the equipment. Earlier this year in January, Airtel became the first telco to successfully demonstrate live 5G service over a commercial network in Hyderabad city in the 1800 MHz band through the NSA (Non-Stand Alone) network technology.
Airtel in the past has noted that 5G will be capable of delivering 10x speeds, 10x latency and 100x concurrency when compared to existing technologies. It noted that in Hyderabad, users were able to download a full-length movie in a matter of seconds on a 5G phone, a demonstration that has underlined the company’s technology capabilities. The full impact of the 5G experience, however, will be available to Airtel’s customers, when an adequate spectrum is available and government approvals are received. Users will not be required to switch SIM cards when the network is available for them. 5G technology is expected to deliver improved user experience in terms of data download rates (expected to be 10 times that of 4G), up to three times greater spectrum efficiency, and ultra-low latency to enable Industry 4.0.
The applications of 5G are across a wide range of sectors such as agriculture, education, health, transport, traffic management, smart cities, smart homes, and multiple applications of IoT (Internet of Things).
