Airtel To Start 5G Services Roll-Out In August, Inks Deal With Ericsson, Nokia, Samsung

Bharti Airtel acquired 19,867.8 MHZ spectrum in 900 MHz, 1800 MHz, 2100 MHz, 3300 MHz, and 26 GHz bands, bolstering its spectrum holding

Bharti Airtel on Wednesday announced that it has signed 5G network agreements with Ericsson, Nokia, and Samsung to start 5G deployment in August 2022.

According to the statement by Bharti Airtel, the telco pointed out its long-standing relationship for connectivity and pan-Indian managed services with Ericsson and Nokia, while stating that partnership with Samsung will begin this year onwards.

Recently, Sunil Mittal-led firm acquired 19,867.8 MHZ spectrum in 900 MHz, 1800 MHz, 2100 MHz, 3300 MHz, and 26 GHz bands, bolstering its spectrum holding.

Within days of bidding for spectrum in auctions, Bharti Airtel, which acquired spectrum worth Rs 43,084 crore in the just-concluded auction, had said it is well-positioned to usher in the 5G revolution in India.

Gopal Vittal, CEO of Airtel, said, "We are delighted to announce that Airtel will commence roll out of 5G services in August." Vittal said the network agreements are finalised and Airtel will work with the best technology partners from across the world to deliver the full benefits of 5G connectivity to its 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," Vittal added.

Speaking about the agreement, Börje Ekholm, president and CEO, Ericsson, said, “We look forward to supporting Bharti Airtel with its deployment of 5G in India. With Ericsson’s unrivalled, global 5G deployment experience, we will help Bharti Airtel deliver the full benefits of 5G to Indian consumers and enterprises, while seamlessly evolving the Bharti network from 4G to 5G. 5G will enable India to realise its Digital India vision and foster inclusive development of the country.”

Pekka Lundmark, president and CEO, Nokia, said, “This landmark deal reinforces our long-standing partnership with Bharti Airtel. We are delighted that they have chosen Nokia's best-in-class AirScale baseband and radio portfolio to deliver superior 5G performance in one of the world's largest networks. I look forward to our continued successful long-term collaboration in this vital and dynamic market.”

Paul (Kyungwhoon) Cheun, president and head of networks business at Samsung Electronics, said, “5G will have a powerful impact on India’s consumers and businesses — taking mobile experiences to a new level, introducing a gamut of enhanced capabilities and expanding what is possible. As a global leader in 5G, Samsung is excited to embark on this 5G journey with Airtel to deliver innovative solutions that will help advance India’s entrepreneurial spirit and open up a new paradigm for the country.”

Choice of multiple partners would enable Airtel to roll out 5G services spanning ultra-high-speeds, low latency and large data handling capabilities, the telco stated.