New Delhi: Telecom operator Bharti Airtel on Monday announced the launch of its 5G services in 125 cities. With this largest-ever such roll out by the telco, Airtel 5G Plus service is now available to customers in over 265 cities in the country, according to a release by the company.
The company said its 5G rollout is on track to cover all towns and key rural areas by March 2024. Bharti Airtel CTO Randeep Sekhon noted that 5G has revolutionised the world of internet, ushering new era of connectivity and communications that will prove to be a game-changer for the country.
"At Airtel, we remain committed to delivering the highest quality of network and service to our customers as we roll-out 125 more cities today," Sekhon added. Airtel 5G Plus service availability will continue to expand, including service in all towns and villages in the country soon, as the company is working towards offering nationwide coverage. Airtel is now offering its 5G services in every major city from the upper northern city of Jammu to the southern tip of Kanyakumari, the release said.
The list of 125 cities include Nellore, Ananthapur (Andhra Pradesh); Jorhat, Tezpur (Assam); Motihari, Gaya (Bihar), Bilaspur (Chhattisgarh); Dahej, Bharuch, Bhavnagar, Jamnagar (Gujarat), Jhansi, Ayodhya, Shahjahanpur, Raebareli (Uttar Pradesh); Manali, Solan (Himachal Pradesh) among others.
Notably, telecom service providers in India started providing high-speed 5G services in the country from October 2022 onwards. The government issued spectrum allocation letters to telecom service providers in August 2022, asking them to prepare for the rollout of 5G services in the country.
Department of Telecom had received total bids worth Rs 1.50 lakh crore from the 5G spectrum auction. What is 5G, and how is it different from the current 3G and 4G services? 5G is the fifth-generation mobile network capable of transmitting a large data set at a very rapid speed.
In comparison to 3G and 4G, 5G has a very low latency which will enhance user experiences in various sectors. Low latency describes the efficiency of processing a very high volume of data messages with a minimal delay.
The 5G rollout is also expected to bring more development in remote data monitoring in sectors such as mining, warehousing, telemedicine, and manufacturing, among others. (With agency Inputs)
