BSNL inks 5G tie-up with SoftBank, NTT

State-owned telco Bharat Sanchar Nigam Limited (BSNL) has signed an agreement with SoftBank and NTT Communications of Japan to roll out 5G and IoT technology in India, the Economic Times writes, citing BSNL Chairman and MD Anupam Shrivastava. According to the official, the agreement looks especially at smart city technologies. The operator is looking to deliver on the government’s promise of making 5G available in 2020, despite apparent reluctance from its privately-owned rivals to stick to that timeline. The official went on to say that BSNL is working to finalise test cases, adding: ‘We are in advanced stages of starting 5G field trials. [The] government is in agreement to provide us with 5G spectrum from trials. We expect to start field trials very soon.’