IPL 2018: Reliance Jio, Airtel to deploy ‘Massive MIMO Pre-5G’ tech across match venues

The first venue where Airtel’s 5G connectivity will go live is Wankhede Stadium in Mumbai.

Airtel users can also watch IPL 2018 matches on Hotstar without additional subscription. (REUTERS)

The 11th edition of Indian Premier League (IPL) is ready to kick off today in India. Prior to the series starting, major telcos Airtel and Reliance Jio have announced the deployment of advanced Massive MIMO Pre-5G technology across match venues.

Reliance Jio's 5G experience will be available for fans in Delhi and Mumbai. Reliance Jio says that it will provide over five times the capacity in a 30 MHz wide band spectrum. The stadiums in Delhi and Mumbai will be equipped with wireless broadband solutions ranging from Massive MIMO, 4G eNodeBs, Wi-Fi hotspots and small cells for Jio users.

Airtel's pre-5G technology will be first deployed at the Wankhede Stadium in Mumbai where the first match will be played on April 7. Airtel's service will be more widespread covering IPL match venues in The telecom service in Delhi, Mumbai, Hyderabad, Kolkata, Mohali, Indore, Jaipur, Bengaluru and Chennai.

"As part of our endeavour to offer a seamless high speed 4G experience to our customers, we are deploying this advanced Pre-5G solution to enable a high speed and high capacity in-stadia network experience at IPL match venues," said Shyam Mardikar, Chief Technology Officer - Mobile, Bharti Airtel.

"The first venue to go live with Airtel's Massive MIMO deployment will be the Wankhede Stadium in Mumbai...," Airtel said in a statement.

According to the company, the Massive MIMO (Multiple-Input Multiple-Output) technology expands network capacity by five to seven times on the same spectrum, which will enable customers to enjoy seamless and superfast data speeds despite the very large number of users in and around the stadia.

"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," he added.

Reliance Jio and Airtel customers can also watch IPL 2018 series live on Hotstar without additional subscription. Hotstar's charges include ₹299 for its 'All Sports Pack' and ₹199 for monthly Hotstar subscription. Jio and Airtel users can watch IPL 2018 through their respective Jio TV and Airtel TV apps. Tapping on IPL 2018 content on both of these apps will redirect users to Hotstar. Jio TV is free for Prime users, while Airtel TV is free for all Airtel customers till June 2018.

With inputs from IANS.