Airtel to deploy 5G network in India by August end

Airtel finally announced that it would start rolling out a 5G network in India at the end of August. Airtel announced that it has signed 5G network deals with Ericsson, Nokia and Samsung to start the 5G rollout in August 2022. Airtel will be the first telecom giant to roll out 5G services in India. The company had a long-standing relationship with Ericsson and Nokia, but recently Samsung was added to the list. Airtel was part of the spectrum auctions held by the Department of Telecommunications, in which the telecommunications giant bid and acquired spectrum of 19867.8 MHz in frequencies of 900 MHz, 1800 MHz, 2100 MHz, 3300 MHz and 26 GHz.

Speaking about the rollout of 5G services in India, Gopal Vittal, MD and CEO, Airtel, said: "We are delighted to announce that Airtel will commence roll out of 5G services in August. 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."

Airtel was one of the first of the three Indian telecommunications companies to test the 5G network. The telco tried various use cases with multiple partners in many locations. It also demonstrated India's first 5G experience over a live 4G network in Hyderabad. After that, Airtel also conducted India's first rural 5G trial and trialled the first cloud gaming experience in 5G to successfully deploy India's first captive private network in the trial spectrum.