Bharti Airtel, Qualcomm partner for 5G RAN rollout

Telecommunications player Bharti Airtel has partnered with Qualcomm Technologies to accelerate 5G deployment in India. 

The partnership will allow Airtel to utilise Qualcomm’s 5G RAN platform to roll out virtualised and Open-RAN (O-RAN) based 5G network, a statement said.

“Airtel has been a pioneer of new technologies and our networks are fully ready for 5G. We are delighted to have Qualcomm Technologies as a key technology provider in our journey to roll-out world-class 5G in India,” Randeep Sekhon, CTO of Bharti Airtel, said in a statement. 

“With Airtel’s integrated service portfolio and Qualcomm Technologies’ 5G leadership, we will be well placed to usher India into the next era of hyper-fast and ultra-low latency digital connectivity,” he said.

Through the partnership, Airtel and Qualcomm will collaborate to enable multiple use cases, including 5G Fixed Wireless Access (FWA) to deliver gigabit-speed broadband connectivity and faster rollout of broadband services across India, the statement said. 

With Gigabit speed broadband, customers will be able to experience 4k video streaming on the go across smartphones and commuting devices, as well as immersive technology, including virtual reality and smart homes, with connected devices. 

“There is a compelling case to accelerate the rollout of 5G networks in India, as it will help fasttrack the country’s socio-economic growth and development. We are pleased to be working with Airtel, and we are excited by the opportunity ahead,” Rajen Vagadia, vice president of Qualcomm India Private Limited and president, Qualcomm India, said. 

In October 2020,  Reliance Jio Infocomm had also signed on Qualcomm Technologies to launch its virtualised RAN solution and to roll out 5G network infrastructure. Qualcomm is an investor in Reliance Industries subsidiary Jio Platforms -- it invested $97 million in the company in July 2020.