Airtel CEO, Gopal Vittal, talking to the analysts at the investors' call, revealed that the company believes it will be able to deliver PAN-India 5G coverage by March 2024. It is quite a long time from here, but in hindsight, not so long as Vittal is basically saying Airtel will be able to provide 5G in all parts of India within a span of two years. The company will start rolling out the 5G network in August 2022 itself. In fact, Gopal said that Airtel has already put detailed 5G network rollout plans for over 5000 towns in India. The capex could see some advancing on an in-year basis because of the rapid 5G rollout.
Airtel is Ready for 5G
Vittal said that all the sites the company is rolling out would have a ready backhaul for delivering a world-class 5G network experience to the consumers. The telcos have access to the E-band spectrum and are fiberising towers to increase capacity.
One important thing that Vittal said was about 5G SA. As per the CEO of Airtel, the telco will be able to upgrade to 5G SA from NSA through a flick of a button via software. Airtel will release all of its 4G spectrum in the 900 MHz, 1800 MHz, 2100 MHz, and 2300 MHz to SA. But right now, 5G NSA is the right way to go for Airtel as the device ecosystem of SA network-supported devices is not at the right mark.
The race will be between Airtel and Jio to reach as many places in the country as fast as possible. If Airtel is planning to do it by March 2024, Jio must also be planning to do it as early. The competition between Airtel and Jio is ultimately going to benefit the customers at the end of the day. Are you looking forward to Airtel's 5G?
