Chinese telecom gear vendor ZTE has kicked off 5G-related activities with Pre5G trials with Bharti Airtel, Vodafone and Mukesh Ambani-led 4G telco Reliance Jio, as it increases it focus on advanced technologies like 5G to take grab India opportunity.
The pre-5G trials are being conducted for Enhanced Mobile Broadband or EMM and test cell throughput. ZTE’s Pre5G massive mimo has been widely deployed with China Mobile, Softbank (in Japan) and in other global high-end markets.
India plans to roll out 5G services for consumers by 2020 and to achieve that objective, the government has on Tuesday set up a high-level forum that will evaluate and approve roadmaps and action plans to bring in the latest technology in the country.
On the 4G front, ZTE is working with Bharti Airtel and Idea Cellular for three telecom circles each. The executive said that both telecom operators are expanding their respective networks in these circles.
ZTE competes with the likes of Huawei, Ericsson and Nokia in India. Sweden-based Ericsson is already in talks with Indian telecom operators for 5G plug-ins that will enable existing 4G networks to support the 5G technology. It is planning to start lab trials for 5G this year in India, and expects to see 5G products contributing to its revenue from India by year-end.
By Baishakhi Dutta
