Samsung to supply 5G solutions, equipment to Bharti Airtel

Seoul/New Delhi, Aug 5

Samsung Electronics will provide 5G solutions and equipment to Indian telecommunications company Bharti Airtel, marking the South Korean tech giant's first 5G equipment deal from India as the country plans to roll out 5G services after a successful spectrum auction.

Airtel, the world's fourth-largest communications solutions provider by users, is set to roll out 5G network in India in August, in partnership with Samsung.

Swedish Ericsson and Finland's Nokia have also been selected as 5G partners.

Samsung said the deal includes building 5G radio stations and offering maintenance and other services. The value of the deal was not disclosed.

"5G will have a powerful impact on India's consumers and businesses -- taking mobile experiences to a new level, introducing a gamut of enhanced capabilities and expanding what is possible," Cheun Kyung-whoon, president and head of the networks business at Samsung Electronics, said in a statement.

"As a global leader in 5G, Samsung is excited to embark on this 5G journey with Airtel to deliver innovative solutions that will help advance India's entrepreneurial spirit and open up a new paradigm for the country."

India is a massive market with approximately 1.1 billion users of wireless communications service. Samsung built India's first 4G LTE network in 2016.

"We are delighted to announce that Airtel will commence roll out of 5G services in August. Our network agreements are finalized and Airtel will work with the best technology partners from across the world to deliver the full benefits of 5G connectivity to our consumers," Airtel CEO Gopal Vittal said in a statement.