Airtel Commences 5G Trials in Mumbai

Last Updated on July 19, 2021 by Asif Iqbal Shaik

Various telecom operators in India have been conducting 5G network trials over the past few months. Back in January, Airtel had successfully demonstrated the first 5G trial in Hyderabad. During this first trial, the telco had managed to test the 5G network over its existing liberalised spectrum in the 1800MHz band through the NSA (Non-Standalone) network technology. Last month, the company had conducted another 5G trial in Gurgaon and managed to get around 1Gbps download speeds in the 3,500MHz band. Now, Airtel has commenced its 5G network trials in Mumbai. The telecom operator has managed to achieve a speed of over 1Gbps, similar to what it had achieved last month in Gurgaon.

Airtel Conducts 5G Trial in Mumbai

The recent Airtel 5G network trial by Airtel was conducted in Phoenix Mall, Lower Parel, Mumbai. This trial was conducted in the 3,500MHz bands using 5G network equipment developed by Nokia. Airtel has managed to deliver a download speed of over 1Gbps during its Mumbai 5G trial. The company even managed to grasp an upload speed of close to 850Mbps in this latest trial.

We are aware of the fact that the Department of Telecommunications (DoT) had allotted a 5G trial spectrum to Airtel, Reliance Jio, and Vodafone Idea, to conduct 5G tests in the 3,500MHz, 28GHz, and 700MHz bands in Delhi/NCR, Mumbai, Kolkata, and Bengaluru. We might see Airtel conducting more 5G trials in India in the near future. It is believed that Airtel’s next destination for 5G trials will be Kolkata.

Jio has already started its 5G trials in Mumbai. As per the latest trial conducted by the Mukesh Ambani-led telecom group, the company used mid-band and mmWave bands for 5G trials in Mumbai. It is said that Jio has developed its own network equipment to conduct 5G trials in Mumbai. On the other hand, India’s third-largest telecom operator, Vodafone Idea, had also started its 5G trial in Pune and Gandhinagar, in partnership with Ericsson and Nokia.