Airtel network future-proof for quick 5G rollout, says CEO Gopal Vittal

Kolkata: Bharti Airtel’s mobile broadband infrastructure is “totally future-proof ” for quick 5G rollouts, chief executive Gopal Vittal said, adding that the country’s second-largest telco will initially target offering the next-generation wireless technology in larger cities before taking it national.

Airtel’s bidding strategy in the spectrum sale next month would be calibrated to acquire pan-India holdings of sub-GHz spectrum that can be deployed for 5G, Vittal said at an earnings call on Thursday. It would also go for renewals in the 1800 MHz band and mop up additional capacity spectrum in the 2300 MHz band, he said.

The key thing is that the existing transport, radio and core elements of Airtel’s mobile broadband network are “totally futureproof ” for quick 5G deployments, Vittal said. “There won’t be any material change in the telco’s capex profile to go 5G” as any incremental capex spends in future 5G deployments would automatically reduce all 4G-related network spends, he said.