Airtel conducts India’s first 5G trial in 700 MHz band with Nokia

New Delhi: Bharti Airtel said that it has successfully conducted India’s first 5G trial in the 700 MHz band in partnership with Nokia. Airtel has been allotted trial spectrum in multiple bands by the government to verify 5G technology and use cases.

The demonstration, which was held on the outskirts of Kolkata, was also the first 5G trial in eastern India.

Taking advantage of the advanced propagation characteristics of the 700 MHz band, Airtel and Nokia were able to achieve high speed wireless broadband network coverage of 40 km between two 3GPP standard 5G sites in real-life situations. Airtel used devices from Nokia’s 5G portfolio, which included the Nokia Airscale Radio and Standalone (SA) Core.

“Back in 2012, Airtel launched India’s first 4G service in Kolkata. Today, we are delighted to host India’s first 5G demo in the iconic 700 MHz band in the city to showcase the power of this technology benchmark. We believe that with the right pricing of 5G spectrum in the upcoming auctions, India Randeep Singh Sekhon, CTO, Bharti Airtel, said, “Digital can unlock the dividend and build a truly connected society with broadband for all.”