Swedish telecom equipment manufacturer, Ericsson, is ready to manufacture 5G radios in India, a top company official said on Monday. “Ericsson has been in India for over 115 years and our commitment to this market has only grown over the years”, Nunzio Mirtillo, Ericsson’s Head of Market Area South East Asia, Oceania and India, said while addressing the inaugural day of the India Mobile Congress in New Delhi.
“In 2018, we announced the exports of radio products from our factory in Pune and I can assure you that we are ready to ‘Switch on’ the manufacture of 5G radios, here in India, for India bands and prepared to start deployments”, he said. Mirtillo also claimed that the company has the technology readiness, the resources and the supply chain capacity to meet a fast ramp-up of market demand as 5G is introduced.
According to Mirtillo, Ericsson has set up a live 5G network at its booth at IMC, in frequencies being discussed in India – both 3.5GHz and 2.8GHz. “5G will be the platform for future innovation and create a truly connected digital society. It will open up new opportunities for India through the acceleration of Industry 4.0”, he said.
“Ericsson was the first to demonstrate 5G technology in India in 2017. Today, there are commercial 5G live networks across America, Europe, Asia and Australia. And, we were first with commercial live networks on all 4 continents. Once you have been first, you can never turn second”, he added.
Recent reports have suggested that in spite of repeated assertions from the IT Minister, Ravi Shankar Prasad, the 5G spectrum auctions might not be held this year. According to a report from Counterpoint Research last month, India may still have to wait at least another 5-6 years for 5G networks to be fully deployed in the country.
With Inputs from IANS
