Bharti Airtel has started repurposing its 4G spectrum to increase 5G coverage and capacity in rural (B and C) circles by 2025. The company plans to use 2300 MHz, 1800 MHz, and 900 MHz bands for this initiative. This step has been taken with the aim of better managing the costs and spectrum resources under Airtel’s spectrum resources.
Upgrade to 5G at low cost
Airtel is reportedly making existing 4G base stations capable of providing 5G signals through a software upgrade, which will significantly reduce costs. Converting a 4G base station to 5G costs $1,000-1,500, while installing a new 5G station using C-band spectrum costs up to $20,000.
“The Sunil Mittal-led company is undertaking a large-scale software upgrade to enable 4G base stations to deliver 5G signals. This process can be done at 1/13 to 1/20 the cost of building new 5G base stations. is completed.”
Use of 4G mid-bands
Airtel is expanding 5G network capacity and coverage especially in rural areas by using 4G mid-bands. The company has the largest spectrum holding in 2300 MHz and 1800 MHz bands. Additionally, Airtel has also increased its spectrum holdings in the 900 MHz band to bridge the 5G coverage gap.
Partnership with Nokia and Ericsson
Airtel has signed multi-year agreements with Nokia and Ericsson to expand 4G and 5G services and accelerate the move towards 5G-Advanced. This strategy is not only cost-effective for Airtel but also helpful in meeting the demand for 5G in rural areas. This step of the company is an important initiative towards promoting digital connectivity and ensuring availability of advanced network services in rural areas.
Airtel will use the 2100 MHz and 900 MHz bands primarily for expanding 4G services, while the 26 GHz band will be used for 5G-based fixed wireless access (FWA) services. According to the report, a portion of the 900 MHz spectrum will be repurposed to fill the 5G coverage gap in markets where demand is rising for 4G to 5G upgrade.
The B and C circle categories include a total of 14 markets.
The main circles are:
- Punjab
- Uttar Pradesh (East and West)
- Haryana
- Kerala
- Rajasthan
- Madhya Pradesh
- west bengal
- Bihar
- Odisha
- Assam
- north-east
This strategy is aimed at bringing Airtel’s 5G and 4G services to better coverage and reach more consumers.