Vodafone Idea (Vi) and Nokia India partnered up to test the capacity of 5G, where it is hard to deploy fiber. Using the E-Band microwave spectrum, the telco and Nokia India could achieve 9.85 Gbps of backhaul capacity in Gandhinagar, Gujarat. For the unaware, the E-Band spectrum ranges from frequencies between 60 GHz to 90 GHz. Vodafone Idea was using spectrum in the 80 GHz band for the respective trial. The telco used small cells and macrocells from Nokia to achieve a fibre-like speed with the E-Band. This test will allow the telco to provide 5G services in areas where it is hard to reply fiber.
Vodafone Idea Partnered With Ericsson to Test 5G for Healthcare
Vodafone Idea had also partnered with Ericsson to test 5G for healthcare. The telco said that a doctor in the urban area could perform a CT Scan on a patient in the rural area with the power of 5G. The telco is moving fast with its 5G trials. It has already partnered with two Indian startups to test 5G for innovative services. Further, Vodafone Idea is also testing 5G for smart city solutions and for enterprise business use cases. It will let the telco understand the relevant use cases of 5G for the Indian market. Vodafone Idea will push aggressively to expand its enterprise business with the arrival of 5G. The telco had earlier announced that it was able to achieve a peak download speed of 3.7 Gbps during the 5G trials in Pune using the spectrum in the mmWave band. Further, using the sub-6 GHz spectrum, Vodafone Idea could deliver a download speed of 1.5 Gbps download speed which is not bad. Vodafone Idea is conducting 5G trials in different parts of India with the spectrum allotted by the Department of Telecommunications (DoT). The trials are expected to continue for a few more months from here.
