The collaboration will allow Airtel to quickly respond to varying customer requirements for bandwidth and latency

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Airtel is conducting 5G trials in major cities in the country. (Credit: Ahmad Ardity from Pixabay)

Indian telecom operator Bharti Airtel has partnered with Intel for the development of 5G network with virtual and open radio access network (vRAN/O-RAN) technologies.

The collaboration is aimed at transforming Airtel’s networks to enable its customers to benefit from the full possibilities of 5G.

Currently, Airtel is conducting 5G trials in major cities in the country.

The partnership with the US chipmaker, which is part of Airtel’s 5G roadmap, is expected to enable edge-to-cloud communications to power the hyperconnected world.

As part of the collaboration, Airtel will deploy a suite of Intel solutions to power its network. The deployments will include the latest Xeon Scalable processors, FPGAs and eASICs, Ethernet 800 Series and FlexRAN reference architecture.

Bharti Airtel CTO Randeep Sekhon said: “Airtel is delighted to have Intel as a part of its rapidly expanding partner ecosystem for 5G.

“Intel’s cutting-edge technologies and experience will contribute immensely to Airtel’s mission of serving India with world-class 5G services. We also look forward to working with Intel and home-grown companies to unlock India’s potential as a global 5G hub.”

By transforming its network with a flexible, software-defined infrastructure, Airtel will be able to quickly respond to varying customer requirements for bandwidth and latency.

The collaboration is expected to allow the telecom operator to build a foundation for wide-scale mobile broadband, mobile edge computing and network slicing.

With such a foundation, Airtel will be able to provide new services for consumers, while programming its network for long-term cost optimisations.

Airtel and Intel, as members of the O-RAN Alliance, will also develop a range of Make in India 5G solutions. The companies will also work closely to enable advanced telecom infrastructure in India through local partners.

Intel network platforms group corporate vice president Dan Rodriguez said: “Being able to digitally power the vibrant population of India’s connected users requires scalable and agile networks that can evolve to address the growing demands of its users.

“Airtel is delivering their next-generation enhanced network with a breadth of Intel technology, including Intel Xeon Scalable processors and FlexRAN software to optimise RAN workloads with embedded intelligence, to scale their infrastructure and deliver on the promise of a connected India.”