Daijiworld Media Network
New Delhi, Sep 27: Bengaluru and Kolkata will soon join the league of select cities around the world which will have 5G network. India’s largest telecom operator Bharathi Airtel has chosen the two cities in the first phase to deploy its Massive Multiple-Input Multiple-Output (massive MIMO) technology, a key enabler for 5G networks.
“India is fast striding towards exponential and unprecedented data growth. Our latest deployment of Massive MIMO, will help us serve this demand and give an impetus to build a future-ready network,” Abhay Savargaonkar, director–networks, Bharti Airtel, said.
As of now, 4G networks offer speeds of up to 16 Mbps. Airtel’s 5G is expected to hover around 40-45 Mbps.
The deployment is part of Airtel’s ongoing network transformation program, Project Leap, in which it has invested Rs 60,000 crore. Airtel has tied up with Korea’s SK Telecom to build a high-tech, high-capacity 5G network.
It is estimated to increase carrier capacity by more than 5X, thereby making effective use of the current spectrum. Additionally, Airtel customers will enjoy 2-3 times faster data speeds on their existing 4G handsets without any upgrades or plan changes. Data speeds will now be seamless, offering enhanced user experience even indoors, in crowded places and in high-rises. “It would enable multiple users and multiple devices to work simultaneously without facing any congestion or experience issues especially at hotspot locations,” Airtel said in a statement.