Vi partners Nokia to trial 5G to bring connectivity to rural India

New Delhi, Nov 10: Leading telecom operator, Vodafone Idea Limited (VIL) along with its technology partner, Nokia, today announced that it has successfully conducted a trial of 5G. The trial utilized 5G in the 3.5GHz spectrum band allocated by the Govt. for 5G trials, to provide rural broadband connectivity in Gandhinagar in Gujarat. Using Nokia’s solution, Vi successfully trialed providing 5G connectivity across an area covering 17.1 km while delivering speeds of more than 100Mbps. This 5G trial by Vi along with Nokia, supports the Indian government’s Digital India vision of providing reliable and high-speed connectivity in rural areas. Vi is also using Nokia’s AirScale radio portfolio and Microwave E-band solution for the trial that support enterprises, both large and small and medium businesses with reliable connectivity. Jagbir Singh, Chief Technology Officer, Vodafone Idea Limited, said: “Accelerated digitalisation over the last two years has led to growing dependency on high-speed broadband and an urgency to connect the unconnected. Vi GIGAnet, India’s fastest network, is enabling users in urban and rural areas, and enterprises, to stay ahead in this digital era. With our 5G ready network and our partner Nokia's, field-proven solution, we are now working on providing solutions and use cases based on high-speed 5G coverage in rural areas.”  Sanjay Malik, Senior Vice President and Head of India Market, Nokia, said:  “Our Fixed Wireless Access 5G solution is enabling service providers, like Vodafone Idea, to extend 5G coverage to remote areas, plug coverage gaps and increase service levels in rural areas. Vodafone Idea is our long-standing partner and we are pleased to support them in successfully testing 5G for delivering high-speed connectivity in rural areas.”