Airtel Successfully Demonstrates Live 5G Services In Hyderabad; Becomes First Teleco To Announce 5G Ready Network

In a major stride towards the tech-driven future, telecom major Airtel on Thursday (28 January) announced that it has become 1st telco to successfully demonstrates LIVE 5G service over commercial network in Hyderabad, reports Zee News

"Airtel did this over its existing liberalised spectrum in the 1800 MHz band through the NSA (Non Stand Alone) network technology. Using a first of its kind, dynamic spectrum sharing, Airtel seamlessly operated 5G and 4G concurrently within the same spectrum block. This demonstration has emphatically validated the 5G readiness of Airtel’s network across all domains - Radio, Core and Transport," Airtel said as per the report.

Airtel 5G is capable of delivering 10 times the speed of existing network technologies, enabling users to download a movie in a matter of seconds over 5G phones.

It is also able to deliver 10x latency and 100x concurrency when compared to existing technologies. Airtel worked with its existing partner Ericsson to demonstrate its technological capabilities.

Gopal Vittal, MD & CEO, Bharti Airtel said: “I am very proud of our engineers who have worked tirelessly to showcase this incredible capability in Tech City, Hyderabad today. Every one of our investments is future proofed as this game changing test in Hyderabad proves. With Airtel being the first operator to demonstrate this capability, we have shown again that we have always been the first in India to pioneer new technologies in our quest for empowering Indians everywhere.”

The telecom major has stated that if permitted by the Department of Telecom (DoT), it could operate its 5G and 4G networks dynamically within the same spectrum block. However, it gave no timeline on the commercial rollout of its 5G network in the country.