Indian operator Vodafone Idea said it is conducting 5G trials using spectrum allocated by the government in the cities of Pune and Gandhinagar, the carrier said in a release.
The telco stated it also achieved peak download speeds of 1.5 Gbps using the 3.5 GHz band with its equipment partners in Gandhinagar and Pune.
Jagbir Singh, CTO at Vodafone Idea, said, “We are pleased with the speed and latency results in the initial stages of the 5G trials on the government allocated 5G spectrum bands. Having established a robust 4G network pan-India, delivering fastest 4G speeds and a 5G-ready network, we are now testing the next generation 5G technology to be able to bring a truly digital experience for enterprises and consumers in India, in the future.”
Earlier this year, DoT had authorized local carriers to carry out trials of 5G technology in the country. These permits were given to Bharti Airtel, Reliance Jio Infocomm, Vodafone Idea and MTNL, which will carry out these 5G trials in partnerships with vendors including Ericsson, Nokia, Samsung and C-DOT.
DoT awarded experimental spectrum in the mid-band (3.2 GHz to 3.67 GHz), millimeter-wave band (24.25 GHz to 28.5 GHz) and in the 700 MHz band for these 5G trials. Mobile operators will also be able to use their existing spectrum in the 800 MHz, 900 MHz, 1800 MHz and 2500 MHz bands.
The 5G trials are expected to last for a six-month period, which includes a time period of two months for procurement and setting up of the equipment.
The permission letters specified that each carrier will have to conduct trials in rural and semi-urban settings also in addition to urban areas.
In June, Reliance Jio started standalone 5G trials in Mumbai using mid-band and mmWave spectrum. In the trials, the operator used locally-developed equipment.
Reliance Jio had applied to carry out 5G radio and core network tests in New Delhi, Hyderabad and Gujarat, using equipment from Samsung, Ericsson and Nokia.
Also in June, Bharti Airtel kicked off a 5G trial using 3.5 GHz spectrum in the city of Gurugram delivering peak throughput of more than 1 Gbps.
Bharti Airtel and compatriot company Tata Group had recently announced a strategic partnership to implement a 5G network in India. Under the agreement, Airtel will pilot Tata Group’s O-RAN-based radio and NSA/SA core beginning in January 2022 as part a larger push to utilize solutions and products that are made in India.
The 5G spectrum auctions will probably take place in February 2022, India’s Telecom Minister Ashwini Vaishnaw recently said.
The government had previously said that the unsold 700 MHz spectrum may be potentially offered in the 5G auction along with airwaves in the 3.3-3.6 GHz band.
In March this year, the 700 MHz spectrum band did not have bidders because local operators believed that the base price was too high.
