Airtel Business sees strong demand for enterprise dedicated 5G

Airtel already provides 5G coverage across India after the telco launches the service in 2022

Airtel Business, the corporate arm of Indian telecommunications company Bharti Airtel, is experiencing strong demand for private 5G services among its corporate customers, local media reported citing an exclusive report.

“Since launching 5G, we have observed significant demand from our enterprise customers for solutions that leverage the full potential of this technology,” said Alok Shukla, SVP, data products and business solutions, Airtel Business. “Customers are eager to see how 5G can enhance digital transformation efforts, from improving operational efficiency to developing new business models,” Shukla said.

According to the report, Indian companies are demanding ultra-reliable low-latency communication (URLLC) for critical operations Massive machine-type communications (mMTC) to support IoT devices and enhanced mobile broadband (eMBB) for high speed data.

Shukla emphasized that Airtel is currently building private 5G networks for businesses, meeting needs in areas such as smart factories and autonomous vehicle operations. “Many industries are looking for customized solutions such as private 5G networks based on their operational requirements,” he said. “Our private 5G networks enable applications such as smart factories, autonomous vehicles and real-time quality control. These solutions help businesses optimize their operations, reduce costs and increase productivity. For example, smart factories leverage automation and robotics, while logistics increases accuracy through better inventory management and asset tracking,” Shukla continued.

The report also highlighted that Airtel is piloting end-to-end network slicing, which allows telecom operators to create multiple, isolated virtual networks on a single 5G infrastructure, each customized to industry-specific needs. “This technology creates multiple virtual networks within a single physical 5G infrastructure, each customized to meet the specific needs of sectors such as healthcare, transportation and manufacturing,” Shukla explained, adding that this approach will drive new business models and diverse applications across various sectors.

Bharti Airtel’s 5G network is currently reaches According to recent media reports, 140,000 villages, while 4G network coverage extends to 800,000 villages across India.

The telco covers all 7,900 towns in India with both 5G and 4G technologies. Bharti Airtel completed the first fiscal quarter of 2025 on June 30 with a total of 90 million 5G subscribers, Bharti Airtel CEO Gopal Vittal said in a recent conference call with investors.

The executive noted that the company ended the previous fiscal quarter with 72 million customers in the 5G space.

To accommodate the increasing number of customers migrating to the 5G network, Airtel had earlier said that it was in the process of realigning its mid-band spectrum to expand 5G services in the 1.8GHz, 2.1GHz and 2.3GHz bands across India.

Airtel currently uses equipment from Ericsson, Nokia and Samsung to provide 5G services. The Indian operator had secured a total of 19,800 megahertz of spectrum in the 900 MHz, 1.8 GHz, 2.1 GHz, 3.3 GHz and 26 GHz bands in the previous auction held by the Indian government in July 2022. In July 2024, the telco will add additional spectrum to expand its 5G offering.