Airtel tests live 5G service in Hyderabad

New Delhi: Telecom operator Bharti Airtel on Thursday successfully demonstrated live 5G service over a commercial network in Hyderabad city, underlining the 5G readiness of its network across domains. The full impact of the 5G experience, though, would be available to Airtel customers when adequate spectrum is available, and government approvals are received. The demonstration in Hyderabad has highlighted the company's technology capabilities, Airtel said.

"I am very proud of our engineers who have worked tirelessly to showcase this incredible capability in tech city, Hyderabad today. Every one of our investments is future-proofed as this game-changing test in Hyderabad proves," said Bharti Airtel Managing Director and CEO, Gopal Vittal.

"With Airtel being the first operator to demonstrate this capability, we have shown again that we have always been the first in India to pioneer new technologies in our quest for empowering Indians everywhere," he added.

India has the potential to become a global hub for 5G innovation, he said, adding this would require the coming together of the ecosystem – applications, devices and network innovation. "We are more than ready to do our bit," Vittal said.