Tech Mahindra, ITI should be able to provide 5G ecosystem: Official

IT company Tech Mahindra and state-run telecom manufacturing firm ITI should be able to provide a 5G technology ecosystem in India including 5G-enabled devices, core system etc, a senior official of the Mahindra group firm said on Tuesday. 

He said that 5G presents an opportunity to transform digitisation in India. "As part of Make in India, we believe Tech Mahindra and ITI together will work with local partners and we should be able to provide 5G enabled radios, 5G enabled devices and 5G enabled core system with some of the billing and OSS systems which are well integrated. It's a great opportunity for India," Tech Mahindra MD and CEO CP Gurnani said at India Mobile Congress 2020. 

He said that telecom operators have demonstrated during COVID-19 pandemic that it is a necessary and national infrastructure. "1.3 billion people have shown that they are ready for 5G in India. 5G is now a reality in many parts of the world. To me 5G represents opportunities for India to transform, India to leapfrog and the 'G' part of it also means to me galvanising into action," Gurnani said. 

Also read: Airtel, IBM complete first phase of Open Hybrid Cloud Network deployment

A senior Tech Mahindra official in September had said that the company is in the advance stage of sharing technology with ITI Limited and the state-run electronics manufacturing entity will be ready to make 4G and 5G equipment in a few months. In June, the company signed an agreement with ITI Limited for development of 4G and 5G technologies. 

ITI in its annual report released in November had said that it is in discussion with Indian companies to provide end-to-end 4G and 5G network gears in the country. The state-run company is also looking at manufacturing equipment for E and V band spectrum which are considered essential for 4G and 5G technologies. 

Gurnani said connectivity during the COVID-19 pandemic has shown its potential "We are creating an ecosystem where it doesn't matter where people live. Tech Mahindra makers lab, our R&D centre, is working with education partners to make sure education reaches the last mile. I am again praying 5G will make it a lot easier. 

5G will be the opportunity, 5G will be the glue that binds the digital future of the nation," Gurnani said. Telecom operators in the country have claimed that their network is 5G ready but they have been unable to provide the service due to lack of suitable spectrum.