Nokia Achieves 1.2 Gbps 5G Speed in Bharti Airtel Trial: Cloud RAN Sets New Download Record

Finnish telecom company Nokia recently announced that it achieved a top download speed of 1.2 gigabits per second (Gbps) during a 5G trial with Bharti Airtel in India. This trial was conducted using Nokia’s 5G non-standalone (NSA) Cloud radio access network (RAN) technology.

The high speed of 1.2 Gbps was recorded multiple times during the trial. It took place using the 3.5 GHz spectrum for 5G and the 2100 MHz spectrum for 4G. Data calls were made successfully with commercial user devices over Airtel’s network, reaching over 1.2 Gbps download speeds.

A Nokia spokesperson explained that the top speed was achieved several times in the mid-frequency band of 3.5 GHz.

Tommi Uitto, President of Mobile Networks at Nokia, said, “This successful trial with our long-term partner, Bharti Airtel, supports their goals of building scalable, agile, and highly automated networks. Nokia’s Cloud RAN approach allows customers to evolve flexibly with choices in Cloud infrastructure and data center hardware, driving efficiency, innovation, openness, and scale in their RAN evolution.”

The trial used cloud network technology, which reduces the need for several physical network components.

Randeep Sekhon, Chief Technology Officer at Bharti Airtel, commented, “This successful Cloud RAN trial is a significant step in our efforts to integrate the latest and most efficient technologies into our network, enhancing customer experiences. Our partnership with Nokia has enabled us to pioneer innovative solutions and upgrade our 5G capabilities.”

This trial marks a major step forward for both companies in advancing 5G technology and network efficiency.