Airtel 3.0: Company shows self-driving drone to connected cars at IMC 2018

India Mobile Congress 2018 started on Thursday with Bharti Airtel unveiling an array of futuristic 5G use cases — ranging from connected home and car to self-driving drone for next generation e-delivery. 

The diverse range of products is a part of Airtel 3.0 vision under which the company aims to build networks and services that enrich the lives of a thousand customers. 

Airtel has set up a world class Airtel X Labs in Bengaluru with cutting edge technology which aims to build 5G use cases for India and the world, the company said in a statement. 

In India Mobile Congress 2018,  Airtel has showcased a "life size replica of a modern connected home with intelligent devices and appliances" by using advanced Home IoT (Internet of Things). Named as Airtel Connected Home, the entire set up  is powered by a ‘1Gbps V-Fiber’ link. 

With the Connected Home, the company also showcased upcoming Android DTH STB which brings the world of digital content to the home. Airtel demonstrated multi-screen video platform for seamless content play across devices. 

Airtel Connected Car shows "how IoT can empower drivers through auto telemetry, which will capture and push data related to key parameters of the car and its functioning in real time." the company said. 

For the first time, Airtel ties up with Huawei to build futuristic AR based Holographic Communication for 5G. AR technology is especially relevant in the Indian context presenting immense possibilities in use cases of AR assisted Learning & Training, Gaming, Live Events and Entertainment.

Airtel and Huawei demonstrated another Virtual Reality with virtual iPad, where users can play common games like “candy crush saga” on “virtual screen” using Oculus. 

In partnership with Nokia, Airtel demonstrated Virtual Reality based 360-degree content like under sea experience that can be streamed in a 5G live environment. 

Airtel is all set to bring the drone game to the next level with Beyond Visual Line of Sight (BVLOS) autonomous drones. The company teamed up with Ericsson to develop the self-driving drone. The self-driving drones will be able to reach locations quickly and accurately without the assistance of remote based piloting. Other than next-generation e-delivery, the drone can be used for mission-critical applications such as disaster response & monitoring, emergency delivery services and remote surveillance. 

"Airtel has been a pioneer when it comes to introducing latest technologies in the Indian telecom sector. Innovation is core to our DNA and we will continue to build exciting digital products for a Digital India," Randeep Sekhon, CTO, Bharti Airtel, said.