Bharti Airtel and Ericsson have successfully demonstrated the functionality of millimeter wave (mmWave) 5G on the Airtel network. This testing achieved peak speeds of 4.7Gbps, showcasing the potential of mmWave for addressing high network capacity demands in the 5G era.
The mmWave spectrum operates in the 5G high-band, particularly above 24 gigahertz (GHz) for delivering better peak rates, low latency and high capacity, especially in densely populated urban areas.This spectrum proves especially valuable for serving a large number of mobile devices, homes and businesses unlocking new possibilities for advanced applications and services.
This has been achieved with Ericsson’s purpose-built hardware and innovative software co-design, powered by Ericsson Silicon, uniquely positioning the company to maximize the potential of high-band connectivity. Airtel now has the opportunity to seamlessly provide high-capacity connectivity to urban areas using the FWA solution.
Randeep Singh Sekhon, CTO, Bharti Airtel says: “The peak throughput experienced during the testing gives us the confidence to deploy mm Wave for FWA application. Using FWA customer premises equipment (CPE) supported with 5G mm Wave will not only help in delivering greater speeds but will also enable us to cover the large number of users that are not connected so far due to inaccessible fiber connections. Fixed Wireless Access (FWA) is an efficient and scalable alternative to wired connections.”
Nunzio Mirtillo, Head of Ericsson Southeast Asia, Oceania and India says, “With 5G demonstrations on the 26GHz band now underway, this is a significant step in showcasing how mmWave can be scaled and integrated into a commercial mobile network. Our extensive investments in R&D have produced in-depth knowledge, experience, and multiple 5G mmWave patents. We possess a leading portfolio in the global 5G mmWave patent landscape and fully own the technology we use.”