Intel Seals New O-RAN 5G Network Deal with Bharti Airtel after Reliance Jio

On Wednesday, Bharti Airtel said that it has signed a deal with Intel to work on 5G development. The telco said that it will use the chipmaker's vRAN and ORAN technologies.

5G in India, Powered by Intel

Notably, the chipmaker has already partnered with Reliance Jio for 5G. This makes it the chipmaker's second 5G deal in India. Airtel said that it will deploy Intel’s 3rd-generation Xeon Scalable processors, FPGAs, and eASICS, and Ethernet 800 series across its network. The statement also said that it will allow the telco to develop India-relevant use cases for 5G.

On the occasion, Randeep Sekhon, CTO – Bharti Airtel said, "Airtel is delighted to have Intel as a part of its rapidly expanding partner ecosystem for 5G. Intel’s cutting-edge technologies and experience will contribute immensely to Airtel’s mission of serving India with world-class 5G services. We also look forward to working with Intel and home-grown companies to unlock India’s potential as a global 5G hub."

Dan Rodriguez, Intel corporate vice president, Network Platforms Group, said, "Airtel is delivering their next-generation enhanced network with a breadth of Intel technology, including Intel Xeon Scalable processors and FlexRAN software to optimize RAN workloads with embedded intelligence, to scale their infrastructure and deliver on the promise of a connected India".

Airtel has also partnered with Ericsson and Nokia to conduct 5G trials in the country; the telco has already got trial networks up at Gurgaon's Cyber Hub and Mumbai's Phoenix Mall. It had also become the first telco to demonstrate 5G over live network in Hyderabad earlier this year. Airtel also has further partnerships with TCS to deploy OpenRAN 5G solutions, including radio and core. The second largest Indian telco has plans to pilot 5G in India in January 2022.