Airtel, Jio may invest $2 bn in 5G gear to boost mobile broadband

Kolkata: Bharti Airtel and Reliance Jio are likely to collectively buy another $2 billion worth of fresh 5G network gear to expand and bolster their next-gen mobile broadband coverage for a rapidly growing user base amid rising shipments of smartphones supporting next gen technology, people aware of the matter said.

Sunil Mittal-led Airtel has floated a fresh request for proposal (RFP) to kickstart its second round of 5G gear purchases, while Mukesh Ambani-owned Jio too is in discussions with global vendors, the people cited said.