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Airtel becomes the first carrier in India to test a 5G network

Leading Indian telecom operator Bharti Airtel conducted a live trail of 5G network today. The test was conducted in the Hyderabad city with 1800 GHz band. The telco spent the one whole year upgrading its network using Ericsson’s network hardware manufactured in India. And now it can enable 5G with the push of a button, as it claims. Airtel believes its 5G network can deliver 10 times higher speeds while reducing latency 10 times, once the spectrum is available.

Airtel 5G speed test conducted in Hyderabad, India

India was intending to conduct its 5G spectrum auction for various bands last year, but the same was postponed considering financial struggles of the telecom industry. The Government is planning to conduct auction of 5G bands (3.3-3.6 GHz) later this year. Indian telcos will ramp up their 5G adoption as soon as the necessary spectrum is available.

As per the operator’s report, there are already 1 million 5G-enabled devices on its network, all of which are bound to 4G network for now. In December, India’s biggest operator, Jio announced its plan to launch a 5G network by June 2021.

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Vietnam’s VinSmart to export its 5G gear

VinSmart, a technology and services arm of Hanoi-based Vietnamese giant VinGroup JSC is looking forward to exporting its 5G-capable devices to western countries. Established two years ago, VinSmart is also first manufacturer of 5G smartphones in Vietnam.

The company has a deal to export 1.5 to 2 million units of its 5G smartphone to the US. While the company is going to focus on its North American presence for the next five years, reports say that it is also planning to bring its 5G equipment in Vietnam’s telecom market in 2021. VinSmart has also tied up with Qualcomm for patent licensing agreements. This connection has also helped it to get an edge over North American market. The company has its portfolio of products in various categories such as, VSmart smartphones, Mi-Fi routers, CPEs, Wi-Fi 6 smart home, routers and 5G laptops.

VinSmart and Qualcomm have been conducting their 5G tests under a lab 5G environment. These tests make sure that the 5G devices are compatible with the global carriers. Last year, Vietnam’s state-run operator, Viettel conducted a 5G network trial and also announced to make its own 5G equipment for the upcoming rollout. We see so many interesting developments around 5G in Vietnam, which could soon become an alternative hub for 5G network gear.