India's Bharti Airtel partners Ericsson 5G Core technology to drive 5G evolution

Core Insights - Bharti Airtel and Ericsson have strengthened their partnership to deploy Ericsson's 5G Core network solutions, enhancing Airtel's service offerings for millions of customers in India [1][2][3] - The collaboration aims to transition Airtel to a full-scale 5G Standalone network, enabling high-end 5G capabilities [2][3] - Ericsson's dual-mode 5G core will facilitate monetization through network slicing and API exposure, creating new business models for Airtel [3] Company Developments - Randeep Sekhon, CTO of Bharti Airtel, emphasized that the deployment of Ericsson's 5G Core solutions is crucial for Airtel's long-term 5G strategy, enhancing network capacity and service innovation [3] - Andres Vicente from Ericsson highlighted the significance of this deployment in making Airtel's network 5G Standalone ready and future-proof [3][4] - The agreement includes the introduction of Ericsson's Signaling Controller and 5G Standalone-enabled Charging and Policy solutions, which will enhance Airtel's monetization efforts [3] Historical Context - Ericsson has been a connectivity partner for Bharti Airtel for over 25 years, covering all generations of mobile communications, including the first 5G contract awarded to Airtel in India [4]