Airtel to enhance network capacity by up to 7 times at IPL venues

Telecom major Bharti Airtel today said it will deploy a pre-5G-technology at IPL match venues that can enhance its network capacity by up to seven times and provide high speed connection to its subscribers.

"Airtel will deploy the advanced Massive MIMO Pre-5G technology across IPL match venues. Massive MIMO expands existing network capacity by five to seven times over existing spectrum. Customers will be able to experience superfast data speeds on Airtel's 4G network despite the very large number of concurrent users on the network sites at the venue," the company said in a statement.

Airtel will deploy the Massive MIMO solution in IPL (Indian Premier League) match venues in Delhi, Mumbai, Hyderabad, Kolkata, Mohali, Indore, Jaipur, Bengaluru and Chennai.

"The first venue to go live with Airtel's Massive MIMO deployment will be the Wankhede Stadium in Mumbai where the first match of the IPL will be played on April 7, 2018," the statement said.

Airtel was the first mobile operator in India to commercially deploy Massive MIMO.

"We are deploying this advanced Pre-5G solution to enable a high speed and high capacity in-stadia network experience at IPL match venues. We believe this will enhance the digital experience for our customers and enable them to share, post and stream content seamlessly even in locations with massive crowds," Bharti Airtel CTO Shyam Mardikar said.

Both Airtel and Reliance Jio are putting their best efforts to enhance users experience during the cricket season.

Airtel has tied-up Hotstar -- a Star TV application to offer free access to IPL matches to its customers. Jio has announced 102 gigabyte data pack offer for Rs 251 during the season along with exclusive comedy show to be hosted by comedian Sunil Grover and cricket play game offering multiple prizes.