Airtel, Intel Collaboration: What does this means for 5G technology in India?
Telecom operator Bharti Airtel has announced a collaboration with Intel for 5G network development by leveraging virtual and open radio access network technologies and making indigenous solutions.
Collaboration is part of Airtel’s 5G roadmap for India
The collaboration is part of Airtel’s 5G roadmap for India as it transforms networks to allow its customers to reap the full possibilities of a hyperconnected world where Industry 4.0, cloud gaming and virtual/augmented reality become everyday experiences, Intel said in a statement. Image source: PTI
Airtel’s network will be powered by a collection of Intel technology
The latest Xeon Scalable processors, FPGAs and eASICs, Ethernet 800 Series, and FlexRAN reference architecture. Transforming its network to meet the growing needs of its more than 345 million subscribers with flexible, software-defined infrastructure will allow Airtel to rapidly respond to varying customer requirements for bandwidth and latency. By providing the foundation for wide-scale enhanced mobile broadband, mobile edge computing and network slicing, Airtel can offer new services for consumers while programming its network to yield long-term cost optimizations. Image source: Reuters
Both companies will work closely to develop a range of “Make in India” 5G solutions
As members of the O-RAN Alliance, both companies will work closely to develop a range of “Make in India” 5G solutions and enable world-class telecom infrastructure in India through local partners. Open RAN will be a future area of tremendous innovation and creativity, leveraging Intel FlexRAN, a reference architecture with both software and hardware components, and enabling software-based radio base stations that can run on general-purpose servers located at the network edge. Image Source: Reuters
Why it matters?
Led by affordable smartphones and the lowest data tariffs globally, India has the world’s second-largest internet population at over 620 million. The country’s active internet user base is expected to grow to 900 million by 2025. The advent of 5G will further deepen the digital adoption through a range of industrial and customer use cases, as per the statement by Intel. Image source: Reuters