Ericsson, BSNL ink 5G pact

Telecom gear maker Ericsson Wednesday said it will work with telecom operator BSNL for developing new use cases around 5G technology in areas like agriculture and education, especially for rural areas.

As part of the agreement, the two parties will also collaborate for knowledge sharing on 5G technology concepts and industry trends.

The partnership will leverage Ericsson's 5G Centre of Excellence at IIT Delhi to engage in evaluating benefits of 5G technology in areas like rural connectivity, connected healthcare and agriculture among others, Nitin Bansal, MD India and Head of Network Solutions (South East Asia, Oceania and India) at Ericsson, told reporters here.

BSNL CMD Anupam Shrivastava said 5G will play an important role in delivery of 'Digital India' initiatives.

According to a report by Ericsson, 5G-enabled digitisation revenue potential in India is estimated to be over USD 27 billion by 2026.

Also, the Indian operators can generate additional revenue of USD 13 billion if they take up roles beyond connectivity and become service enablers, it added.