The Department of Telecommunications (DoT) on Tuesday granted permissions to a slew of Telecom Service Providers (TSPs) for conducting trials for use and applications of 5G technology.
The applicant TSPs include Bharti Airtel Ltd., Reliance JioInfocomm Limited, Vodafone Idea Limited, and MTNL.
The aforementioned telecoms have tied up with original equipment manufacturers and technology providers which are Ericsson, Nokia, Samsung, and C-DOT.
In addition, Reliance Jio will also be conducting trials using its indigenous technology.
The Telecom Service Providers will also be permitted to use their existing spectrum owned by them (800 MHz, 900 MHz, 1800 MHz and 2500 MHz) for the conduct of 5G trials.
At present, the duration of the trials is for six months, including a period of two months for procurement and setting up of the equipment.
The Centre said that the telcos will be encouraged to conduct trials using 5Gi technology in addition to the already known 5G Technology.
The International Telecommunications Union (ITU) has also approved the 5Gi technology, which facilitates a much larger reach of the 5G towers and Radio networks.
The IIT Madras, Centre of Excellence in Wireless Technology (CEWiT), and IIT Hyderabad have developed the 5Gi technology.
Surjitt Sahani
