Bharti Airtel isn’t going to over-spend in the spectrum auctions for the 5G airwaves. Randeep Sekhon, in an interview to the Livemint, said that 100 MHz of 5G airwaves is an ideal number to start with. However, if the airwaves are too expensive, even 40 MHz to 60 MHz is enough to fulfil early demand for 5G services, added Sekhon. Further, Sekhon said that Airtel isn’t going to partner with Chinese vendors anymore for network technologies. Airtel will use equipment from European vendors such as Ericsson and Nokia along with O-RAN based tech solutions provider, Mavenir.
Samsung Might Also be a Part of Airtel’s 5G Journey
Airtel is reportedly in talks with Samsung for network equipment. Looking at this, Samsung has shown interest in setting up manufacturing in India as it will have two major clients in the country — Airtel (if the deal happens) and Jio. Bharti Airtel has expressed in the past that it won’t overpay for the airwaves and hence asked the regulator to recommend a steep price cut. The same has been echoed by the other private telcos in the country. However, the telco will be very much happy to go ahead with less quantum of airwaves to begin with as in the initial days of launch, there won’t be a very big demand for 5G services. Bharti Airtel recently displayed the power of 5G networks. Airtel displayed India’s first 5G hologram interaction with Kapil Dev. The virtual avatar of Kapil Dev, powered by Airtel’s 5G network allowed the fans to interact with him in real-time. With 5G, the way people connect with each other will change forever and the definition of entertainment will become more immersive. ??Bharti Airtel had conducted the 5G demonstration using spectrum in the 3500 MHz band and Ericsson Radio in 5G SA and NSA mode. The spectrum has been allotted by the Department of Telecommunications (DoT) for testing purpose.
