Bharti Airtel (Airtel), India’s premier communications solutions provider, has announced that it has signed 5G network agreements with Ericsson, Nokia and Samsung to commence 5G deployment.
Airtel has had a long-standing relationship for connectivity and Pan-India managed services with Ericsson and Nokia while the partnership with Samsung will begin this year onwards.
The 5G partnerships follow closely on the heels of spectrum auctions conducted by the Department of Telecom in India, where Airtel bid for and acquired 19867.8 MHZ spectrum in 900 MHz, 1800 MHz, 2100 MHz, 3300 MHz and 26 GHz frequency.
Gopal Vittal, MD and CEO, Airtel, said: “We are delighted to announce that Airtel will commence roll out of 5G services. Our network agreements are finalized and Airtel will work with the best technology partners from across the world to deliver the full benefits of 5G connectivity to our consumers.
“India’s transition into a digital economy will be led by telecom and 5G presents a game-changing opportunity to drive the Digital Transformation of industries, enterprises and the socio-economic development of India.”
Choice of multiple partners will enable Airtel to roll out 5G services spanning ultra-high-speeds, low latency and large data handling capabilities, which will enable a superior user experience and allow the pursuit of new, innovative use cases with enterprise and industry customers.