Airtel commences 5G trials; records highest speeds in Sri Lanka

Airtel Lanka this week demonstrated the 5G readiness of its network as it conducted LIVE 5G trials over a commercial network and recorded speeds of over 1.9Gbps - the highest speed ever recorded in the country.

“Sri Lanka is a market that has been defined by pioneering technology adoption and the investments we are making today into ramping up our 5G capabilities will lay the digital foundations for Sri Lanka’s next chapter of growth. As witnessed today, we were able to record the highest internet speed in the country, and will continue to break records as we move towards the future,” Airtel Lanka Managing Director and CEO Ashish Chandra said.

“Our high-speed network will have a huge impact on the lives of our customers by empowering them and is in line with our vision to provide to every citizen of our country a world class network at the most affordable price.  It is a proud moment for everyone at Airtel,” he added.

Airtel 5G is fully equipped to deliver up to 10 times more speed, 10 times lower latency and 100 times concurrency compared to existing technologies. Building on the company’s significant investments towards network upgrades, the commencement of 5G trials puts Airtel among the world’s latest in mobile technology and network innovations.

Airtel announced that its world-class 4G infrastructure around the island is 5G ready, thus facilitating a seamless transition to the next generation of networking. Airtel was able to do this through trial frequency allocations in the 3500 MHz band with the NSA (Non Stand Alone) network technology.

This demonstration has proved the 5G readiness of Airtel’s network across all domains. 

Bharti Airtel Lanka began commercial operations of services in Sri Lanka in 2009 and was the fastest operator to reach 1 million customers. The Airtel Lanka offering of technology innovation and service excellence has seen rapid adoption rates among the Sri Lanka youth. Registered under the Board of Investment in Sri Lanka, Airtel Lanka provides digital mobile services which include voice, data and enterprise solutions and is currently ranked the fastest 3G mobile network provider in Sri Lanka.