As part of the trial, the 5G small cells will be deployed on street-lighting, smart poles and other street furniture in Bhopal smart city and Bengaluru's Namma Metro station.
In the pilot, VI demonstrated 5G download speed of 1Gbps on mobile handsets at four locations across the region New Market, Jyoti Square, Prabhat Petrol Pump and Inter State Bus Terminus.
Working alongside the Telecom Regulatory Authority of India (TRAI), VI also demonstrated a range of 5G-based technology solutions and use cases as part of its 5G trials on government allocated trial spectrum in Pune, Maharashtra and Gandhinagar, Gujarat earlier this year.
Small cells are network equipment being deployed by VI to enhance 4G network coverage and capacity with the current trials being conducted to test the equipment for 5G network deployments in the future. It uses higher frequencies’ spectrum to provide ultra-high broadband speed and needs to be placed closer to locations with higher demand.
A spokesperson for VI said: “Vodafone Idea is conducting a trial on use of street furniture for small cells and aerial fibre deployment in Bhopal Smart City, as part of a pilot by TRAI. These pilots are aimed at making cross-sectoral infrastructure more accessible for quick roll out of the 5G networks. The learnings of this project will, in turn, be used for 5G deployment in other smart cities in the country.”
