5G in India: DoT allocates 5G trial spectrum to MTNL

Reliance Jio, Bharti Airtel and Vodafone Idea were given the spectrum in May to conduct 5G trials across select cities in India.

5G connectivity (REUTERS)

The Department of Telecom on Wednesday allocated the spectrum for 5G field trials to the state-owned telecom firm MTNL with C-DoT as its technology partner, according to an official source.

Reliance Jio, Bharti Airtel and Vodafone Idea were given the spectrum in May to conduct 5G trials across select cities in India.

"(The) DoT has allocated spectrum to MTNL for 5G trials in Delhi. It will conduct trials in partnership with C-DoT," the official source told PTI.

The state-owned telecom firm will conduct trials in the Najafgarh area of Delhi.

According to the DoT, 5G technology is expected to deliver 10 times better download speed than that of 4G and up to three times greater spectrum efficiency.

The duration of the trials at present is six months. This includes a time period of two months for procurement and the setting up of the equipment.

Bharti Airtel has started trials in Delhi, Mumbai, Kolkata and Bengaluru, and Jio applied for trials in Delhi, Mumbai, Gujarat and Hyderabad.

BSNL has not applied for 5G trials yet.