Bangalore Metro Rail Corporation Limited (BMRCL) has become the first metro operator in India to test 5G network under a pilot project of the Telecom Regulatory Authority of India (TRAI).
According to BMRCL, TRAI has selected the MG Road station for 5G networks trials. The system consisting of outdoor small cells (ODSC), distributed antenna system was installed by Reliance Jio on July 5, 2022, and the testing was carried out on July 21, 2022. ODSC radiated signal covering up to a distance of a 200-metre radius. Preliminary bandwidth trial has given 1.45 Gbps download and 65 Mbps upload speeds, making it 50 times faster than 4G. A stretch of 2 km between MG Road and Ulsoor Metro stations has been identified for the 5G pilot project in Bangalore.
Further, it added that commuters would benefit from 5G technology as they would enjoy coverage throughout the journey. With 5G, quick response (QR) code generation and operation at the automatic fare collection (AFC) gates would be easier. Point of sale (PoS) machines at the ticket office which rely on data connection would also function smoothly.
