Airtel, Jio, Vodafone Idea seek time for 5G trial plans

NEW DELHI: Field trials for 5G may be delayed further in India as private telecom operators Bharti AirtelNSE 0.53 %, Vodafone IdeaNSE -0.80 % and Reliance Jio Infocomm are preparing to write to the telecom department to seek more time beyond the January 10 deadline to submit their respective proposals.

“There is a lot of documentation and details required to be submitted to the telecom department, which is not possible by January 10,” said a senior executive, who did not wish to be identified.

The Cellular Operators Association of India (COAI) will write a letter to the Department of Telecommunications (DoT) this week, said the executive.

Rajan Mathews, director general of COAI, which represents all private telcos, confirmed the development but said that a time frame for the extension to be sought from DoT had not been finalised yet.