Summary:
Börje Ekholm said Bharti Airtel’s launch of differentiated connectivity services marks a major milestone in India’s 5G journey. He highlighted that Airtel is using advanced 5G Standalone and network slicing technologies to deliver enhanced and more reliable performance for postpaid users, while also supporting future AI-driven applications that require low latency and stable connectivity. Ekholm added that India is moving beyond large-scale 5G rollout toward premium, experience-based 5G services, placing the country alongside global innovation markets such as the USA, Singapore, Australia and New Zealand.
Börje Ekholm, President and CEO of Ericsson, stated that India has achieved another major milestone in mobile technology with Bharti Airtel introducing differentiated connectivity services for its postpaid subscribers.
In a LinkedIn post, Ekholm noted that India continues to lead in digital transformation, driven by the success of the Digital India initiative over the past decade along with a robust mobile network infrastructure. He added that Airtel’s introduction of advanced 5G capabilities marks another significant step in the country’s telecom evolution.
Ekholm explained that Airtel is utilising 5G Standalone technology along with advanced network slicing to improve both network capacity and performance. This enables the telecom operator to provide enhanced and more targeted connectivity experiences for its postpaid users.
The move is noteworthy because India’s 5G growth story has largely focused on rapid deployment, wider coverage and faster speeds until now. Airtel’s latest initiative shifts attention toward differentiated network experiences, where selected customer groups can receive more reliable and consistent performance, particularly in high-traffic environments.
According to Ekholm, these advanced capabilities will also help support emerging AI-powered devices and applications that depend on stable latency and uninterrupted connectivity. This highlights the increasing role telecom networks are expected to play in supporting AI-driven consumer and enterprise use cases in the future.
He further mentioned that Airtel now joins leading telecom operators in markets including the USA, Singapore, Australia and New Zealand, where advanced 5G technologies are already being used to create differentiated customer experiences.
For Airtel, this launch elevates its postpaid offerings beyond conventional features such as bundled entertainment, family plans and premium customer support. The company is now adding a network-performance layer to its postpaid services, which may emerge as a strong differentiator in India’s premium mobility segment.
Ekholm also emphasised the importance of high-performance, programmable and increasingly autonomous networks in enabling telecom operators to stand apart in the market. He said such advanced networks will be essential for supporting future AI-intensive applications and added that Ericsson is proud to collaborate with Airtel in its ongoing network transformation journey.
The larger takeaway is evident: India is no longer viewed only as a market for large-scale 5G rollout. With Airtel introducing advanced slicing-based capabilities for consumers, the country is moving closer to global 5G innovation leaders, where telecom companies are beginning to monetise 5G not just through data consumption, but also through enhanced quality, reliability and differentiated user experiences.
