According to BUSINESSKOTEA today, Samsung has been selected by Indian communications operator Bharti Airtel as a 5G communications equipment supplier.
Founded in 1995, Airtel Group is the fourth largest operator in the world and the second largest in India, with about 490 million subscribers worldwide. In the future, Samsung will provide complementary products for Airtel Group’s 5G communication network, including 5G base stations and multiple input/output communication base stations, and will provide installation, optimization and maintenance services for the equipment.
Notably, Samsung built the 4G network for Reliance Jio, the world’s third largest / India’s number one operator, in 2016. As a result, Samsung says it will provide communications equipment to both India’s No. 1 and No. 2 operators when it begins its partnership with Airtel Group.
In addition, India is currently the second largest wireless market in the world, with about 1.1 billion subscribers, which means Samsung will see considerable growth in its 5G communications equipment business this year.
India recently completed an auction for 5G spectrum, in which Reliance Jio won the 700MHz band with the best call quality and network performance. India’s telecom minister said the 5G network will be launched in October in India’s first-tier cities and expand to other regions next year.
