Airtel will Lead 5G Connectivity Revolution in India: Sunil Mittal

With a strong network to support the nation's digital-first economy, Bharti Airtel Chairman Sunil Mittal has stated that the company will be at the forefront of bringing 5G connectivity to India. The timing of Mittal's remarks has significance now that the 5G spectrum auction countdown has started.

The auction, which is set to start on July 26, will offer radiowaves worth at least Rs 4.3 lakh crore, totaling 72 GHz (gigahertz). The Telecom Department is holding a mock auction (mock drill) on Friday and Saturday in advance of the major event (July 22 and July 23).

Reliance Jio, Bharti Airtel, and Vodafone Idea are scheduled to take part in the 5G spectrum auction. Adani Enterprise Ltd. the flagship company of billionaire Gautam Adani, is also expected to bid.

The Indian market is prepared for 5G services, which will introduce new services and business models and offer ultra-high speeds (roughly 10 times faster than 4G).

In Bharti Airtel's annual report 2021-22, Sunil Mittal said, "We can proudly say that  Airtel will be at the forefront of bringing 5G connectivity to India with a powerful network that will support India's digital-first economy."

According to Mittal, Airtel established itself as a leader in 5G by testing the network before its rivals and becoming the first operator in India to demonstrate 5G cloud gaming and carry out a successful trial of the 700 Mhz band for rural connectivity.