Ericsson will provide essential 5G equipment to Bharti Airtel to ensure a smooth transition to a fully operational, commercially live 5G Standalone (SA) network over time, the Swedish telecom equipment provider announced on Tuesday.

This upgrade marks a strategic enhancement to Bharti Airtel’s 5G monetization efforts, enabling the creation of new business models, according to Ericsson.

In the SA mode, the network is entirely built on 5G, while in the NSA mode, the 5G network operates as an additional layer on top of existing 4G and 3G radio networks. Currently, Reliance Jio offers 5G using SA technology, while Airtel has been utilizing NSA-based networks.

Under the terms of the agreement, Ericsson will implement its signaling controller solution within Airtel's network. Additionally, Ericsson’s 5G SA-enabled charging and policy solution will be integrated. These new capabilities will strategically enhance Bharti Airtel's 5G monetization efforts, facilitating the development of new business models.

"Ericsson's enduring partnership with Airtel has entered an exciting new phase, marked by the deployment of Ericsson's 5G Core solutions to support Airtel's transition to 5G Standalone. This rollout will play a pivotal role in Airtel's long-term 5G strategy, boosting network capacity and enabling the delivery of innovative, differentiated services to customers," Airtel's chief technology officer Randeep Sekhon said.

Airtel is set to soon roll out fixed wireless access (FWA) services on an SA basis, Vice-Chairman and Managing Director Gopal Vittal had said.