Airtel partners with Qualcomm to bring 5G services to India

Bharti Airtel has partnered with Qualcomm Technologies to roll out 5G services in India. The telecom operator and the US-based chipmaker, Qualcomm, announced the new partnership which will see Airtel use Qualcomm's Radio Access Network (RAN) platform. This development comes shortly after Airtel became India’s first telco to demonstrate 5G over a LIVE commercial network in the city of Hyderabad.  

"Through Airtel’s network vendors and device partners, Airtel will utilise the Qualcomm 5G RAN Platforms to roll out virtualized and Open RAN-based 5G networks. Airtel, as a board member of the O-RAN Alliance, is committed to driving the success of O-RAN and is working with Qualcomm Technologies to explore and implement the O-RAN approach for India. The flexible and scalable architecture of O-RAN will create new opportunities for small and medium-sized businesses to become viable players in the deployment of 5G networks," the company said in a statement. 

Airtel and Qualcomm team up to bring 5G to India

Additionally, the company announced that under the partnership, Airtel and Qualcomm Technologies will collaborate to enable a number of use cases, including 5G Fixed Wireless Access that is designed to deliver broadband connectivity at Gigabit speeds to homes and businesses. This, the teleco says, will also allow it to handle the roll-out of broadband services in the country in a "cost-effective and expeditious manner for last-mile connectivity challenges that are becoming increasingly important in today’s remote, mobile-first society."

The company further added that with the help of the partnership it will be able to deliver multi-gigabit internet speeds wirelessly to customers and open up a wide range of innovations. "For customers, the ultra-fast and low latency of 5G will unlock a digital world of limitless possibilities – gigabit size file downloads in seconds and 4K video streaming on the go across smartphones and computing devices, Immersive Technologies such as Virtual Reality and SMART Homes with connected things," the statement noted.  

Commenting on the collaboration, Rajen Vagadia, Vice President, Qualcomm India Private Limited and President, Qualcomm India said, “There is a compelling case to accelerate the roll-out of 5G networks in India, as it will help fast-track the country’s socio-economic growth and development. We are pleased to be working with Airtel, and we are excited by the opportunity ahead. This collaboration is expected to play a critical role in Airtel’s plans to add 5G network coverage and capacity where and when it is needed the most.

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