Bharti, Jio take different paths to 5G finish line

India's two largest telcos are getting their hands dirty in the quest for a 5G solution. While both are weighing open source architecture, the way they're going about things couldn't be more different

While media reports indicate that Bharti Airtel wants to follow Reliance Jio's DIY 5G approach, the truth is markedly different

Unlike its arch rival, Bharti Airtel is looking to assemble a range of solutions from an assortment of partners

Jio, by contrast, wants to build an end-to-end 5G solution in-house. It even has a massive engineering team and multiple acquisitions to help achieve this

Both companies, however, are a long way from a commercial-grade 5G solution, with heavy investments in R&D the need of the hour

At telecom operator Bharti Airtel’s Bengaluru lab, a team of 50-60 engineers are hard at work. Even as India dithers on an auction for 5G spectrum, delaying the next generation of mobile networks in the country, this team is working to give Bharti a leg up when 5G inevitably becomes a reality in the country.

The goal of the project—which has even enlisted the help of engineers from partners such as US-based telecom vendor Altiostar—is to design and build a radio unit (RU). A critical network component—not to mention, the most expensive—the RU is what powers the antennas that beam 5G signals out.

AUTHOR

Pratap Vikram Singh

Pratap is based out of Delhi and covers policy and myriad intersections with the other sectors, most notably technology. He has worked with Governance Now for seven years, reporting on technology, telecom policy, and the social sector.

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