5G trials of Bharti Airtel - An update

India is inching towards a 5G rollout. An update.

5G trials of Bharti Airtel - An update

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• The story: Bharti Airtel has partnered with the US-based Mavenir for open radio access network (Open RAN)-based fifth generation or 5G field trials in the mmWave and mid band at Chandigarh tri-city, reaffirming its commitment to open technology approach. The alliance between the two includes deployment of captive 5G standalone (SA) and non-standalone (NSA) modes for both core and radio networks in Chandigarh's urban and rural areas.
• Details: The alliance between the two includes deployment of captive 5G standalone (SA) and non-standalone (NSA) modes for both core and radio networks in Chandigarh's urban and rural areas.

1. Mittal's company is one of the initial members of O-RAN Alliance since 2018, together with AT&T, Orange, Vodafone Group, China Mobile and Deutsche Telekom, and is spearheading the innovation-driven open architecture. Rival Reliance Jio, an ardent advocate of open technology, is also a member of the Germany-based group.
2. The open architecture-based approach is taking traction in India with incumbents such as Reliance Jio entering into partnerships with NXP and Qualcomm, while Vodafone group, which operates in India with Aditya Birla group's Idea Cellular as Vodafone Idea, has teamed up with Korean Samsung and Japanese NEC.
3. In 2020, Airtel deployed Rakuten-owned Altiostar’s open virtual radio access network (vRAN) while rival Jio in August last year said that it had developed and tested an indiginous disaggregated 5G OpenRAN solution, achieving 1 Gigabit per second milestone.
4. Telecom carriers shifting to non-proprietary networks on the back of an estimated total cost of ownership (TCO) savings of upto 35%, would, however, play spoilsport to the dominance of players such as Swedish Ericsson and Finnish Nokia, according to analysts.

• Open RAN: It uses off-the-shelf software and hardware components, and brings in more savings in capital investments (capex) and operating expenditures (opex) since it allows deployment of virtualised functions with a dynamic capacity and demand alignment.

1. In May 2021, the telcom department's (DoT) Wireless Planning and Coordination (WPC) wing allocated airwaves to Reliance Jio, Bharti Airtel and Vodafone Idea in the 700 Mhz, 3500 Mhz and 26 Ghz bands for a period of six months for next generation network trials.
2. The department then allowed a six-month extension to service operators to conduct 5G field trials till May 2022 in order to develop locally-relevant 5G use cases. 

• Technicals: An O-RAN, or Open Radio Access Network (O-RAN) is a concept based on interoperability and standardization of RAN elements including a unified interconnection standard for white-box hardware and open source software elements from different vendors. O-RAN architecture integrates a modular base station software stack on off-the-shelf hardware which allows baseband and radio unit components from discrete suppliers to operate seamlessly together.

1. The 5G spectrum auctions will most probably be held in February 2022. The government approved a relief package for the telecom sector including a four-year moratorium on airwaves payments which are due to the government. 
2. Radio spectrum enables communication between mobile handsets and networks, and it is an essential scarce resource for the operators to provide communication services. In India, the roadmap for the allocation of radio spectrum for providing 5G services remained unclear for long.
3. There are three spectrum bands that are critical for promoting 5G services across the country. Out of these, the controversial 700 MHz band remained unsold in the last spectrum auctions that were held in 2016 and February 2021, due to high reserve prices fixed by the government. Though the mid-band spectrum (3.3–3.6 GHz) is scheduled for auction soon, the amount of spectrum to be put on block will depend on the corresponding release by the Department of Space.
4. The 60 GHz band — which is superior for high-capacity and micro-scale networking in 5G — is yet to be cleared by the Department of Telecommunications. There is an urgent need to revise the National Frequency Allocation Plan 2018 to pave way for the release of the appropriate spectrum bands for 5G deployment.
5. The government has also launched WiFi Access Network Interface architecture that promotes seamless mobility, access and payment for growing public WiFi in the country. The Telecommunications Standards Development Society of India is also working towards the adoption of 6 GHz for a license exempt band (as approved in many countries) for possible deployment of WiFi 6 hot spots, which can greatly complement mobile broadband connectivity.

• Summary: India's vibrant telecom sector that witnessed hyper-competition with nine to ten operators in each license service area has seen consolidation and is now down to four operators. Coupled with easing regulatory burdens, and a well-planned forthcoming spectrum auction, there is an expected increase in industry efficiency, leading to the provision of good quality mobile broadband across the country.
• EXAM QUESTIONS: (1) What does 5G spectrum mean? Explain in easy terms. (2) What is OPEN RAN concept in 5G? Explain.

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