Bharti Airtel and Qualcomm Technologies Inc have announced a collaboration to accelerate the pace of 5G adoption in the country after demonstrating last month in Hyderabad that 5G gigabit speeds could be achieved over existing networks and spectrum bands.

Airtel plans to use Qualcomm’s 5G RAN platforms to roll out virtual and Open RAN-based 5G networks.

Airtel and Qualcomm Technologies will collaborate to enable a wide array of use cases, including 5G Fixed Wireless Access (FWA) that is designed to deliver broadband connectivity at Gigabit speeds to homes and businesses.

Randeep Sekhon, CTO, Bharti Airtel, said, “We are delighted to have Qualcomm Technologies as a key technology provider in our journey to roll out world-class 5G in India. With Airtel’s integrated service portfolio and Qualcomm Technologies’ 5G leadership, we will be well placed to usher India into the next era of hyper-fast and ultra-low latency digital connectivity.”

Rajen Vagadia, vice-president of Qualcomm India and president, Qualcomm India, emphasised that there is a compelling case to accelerate the roll-out of 5G networks in India, as it will help fast-track the country’s socio-economic growth and development.

This collaboration also aims to allow a faster rollout of broadband services in a cost effective and expeditious manner across India for “last mile” connectivity challenges that are becoming increasingly important in today’s remote, mobile-first society.

It promises gigabit size file downloads in seconds and 4K video streaming on the go across smartphones and computing devices, immersive technologies such as Virtual Reality and SMART Homes.