Jio installed 5x more 5G radios than Airtel as of Nov: Telecom dept in RS

Airtel cites difference in tech after govt presents data in Rajya Sabha

Reliance Jio had five times more 5G base stations (BTS), or 5G radios, than Airtel as of November, the telecom department told the Rajya Sabha on Monday. 

Total number of 5G BTS in the country was nearly 21,000 as on November 26, with most in Delhi, Maharashtra, and Gujarat, Minister of State for Telecommunications Devusinh Chauhan said in a written reply. A BTS is a fixed radio transceiver in any mobile network, most often installed on mobile towers. 

The two telecom companies currently racing for 5G domination, Reliance Jio and Bharti Airtel, are currently putting up nearly 2,500 BTS every week, as opposed to the initial government-mandated target of at least 10,000 BTS, official data showed.

Currently, 5G is being introduced in India on two different technological platforms. In the Standalone (SA) mode, the network is built only on 5G, while in the Non-Standalone (NSA) mode, the 5G network is built as a top-up on an existing layer of the 4G radio network. 

While Reliance Jio has launched its 5G network on the SA mode, Bharti Airtel has opted for NSA. As a result, industry experts have pointed out that Reliance Jio would need to instal more BTS than Bharti Airtel.

Senior company officials at Bharti Airtel told Business Standard the company is currently installing an average of two radio transceivers on every tower to expand 5G coverage, while Reliance Jio is installing up to six.

“This is skewing the figures by a wide margin despite the pace of expansion currently being head to head,” an Airtel official said.

The data showed 14 states currently have 5G base stations, with Bihar (38), Haryana (32), Andhra Pradesh (12) near the bottom. Kerala had just six.