Airtel gives 5G service to people in Hyderabad, movie downloaded in seconds; Become the first company to do so
Bharti Airtel may be lagging behind Jio in the race for cheap tariff plans and subscribers. But in the race for 5G, it has won. Airtel has successfully tested live 5G service on commercial network in Hyderabad. The company has also released its live demo video.
Airtel conducted these tests in its 1800 MHz band through non-standalone (NSA) network technology. According to it, 5G will get 10 times more speed than 4G. Airtel has become the first telecom company in the country to do so.
Gopal Vittal, MD and CEO of Bharti Airtel said, “I am proud of my engineers. They have successfully demonstrated this technology in Hyderabad. It has proved to be a game-changing test in Hyderabad. Airtel became the first operator to demonstrate this capability. India has the potential to become a Global Center for 5G Innovation.”
Movie downloaded in seconds
During testing in Hyderabad, 5G users were able to download the entire film in a few seconds on the phone. Airtel is now awaiting government approval to start this service. According to the company, 5G technology will be available to the customer only when sufficient spectrum is approved as well as permission from the government.
Airtel has partnered with Ericsson to bring 5G service. The company claims that it has the ability to run a 5G network in mid-band on the spectrum it has. Airtel can feature a 5G network on the sub-GHz bands at 1800MHz, 2100MHz, 2300MHz frequencies with 800MHz and 900MHz.