Bharti Airtel and Tech Mahindra on Thursday announced a strategic partnership to co-develop and market 5G use cases in India.

Under the partnership, Airtel and Tech Mahindra will set up a joint 5G innovation lab for the Indian and global markets.

The two companies will also bring to the market customised enterprise grade private networks, which will focus on combining Airtel’s integrated connectivity portfolio of 5G ready mobile network, fibre, and Internet of Things (IoT) along with Tech Mahindra’s system integration capabilities.

A press statement added that the companies will

initially focus on segments such as automobiles, aviation, ports, utilities, chemicals, oil & gas and expand to other industries. Airtel and Tech Mahindra will also offer secure cloud and content delivery network (CDN) solutions to businesses.

“Airtel and Tech Mahindra have a shared vision of supporting the growth of India’s digital ecosystem. We are delighted to join forces with Tech Mahindra to bring to market a range of cutting-edge digital solutions for the emerging requirements of enterprises.

“With proven technology capabilities and deep customer trust enjoyed by the two brands, we believe this is a win-win partnership,” Ganesh Lakshminarayanan, CEO-Enterprise Business, Bharti Airtel said.

While shares of Bharti Airtel on Thursday ended nearly a per cent higher at Rs 755.40, the Tech Mahindra scrip gained 0.21 per cent to settle at Rs 1,499.30 in the BSE.

Voda Idea plan

Vodafone Idea Ltd (VIL) on Thursday said its board has approved the allotment of issuing preferential shares to the promoter group for Rs 4,500 crore.

Earlier this month, the VIL board had approved a fund raising proposal of Rs 14,500 crore of which Rs 4,500 crore will be through a preferential allotment to its promoters —Vodafone group plc and the Aditya Birla group.