Bharti Airtel launches India’s first-ever 5G FWA service

Bharti Airtel has launched Airtel Xstream AirFiber, making it the first Indian telecom operator to introduce 5G fixed wireless access (FWA) for consumers in Delhi and Mumbai.

Airtel Xstream AirFiber is India’s first 5G wireless Wi-Fi solution that will offer internet to consumers in fiber-dark areas. It claims to address the last-mile connectivity issue in both rural and urban areas of the country where access to fiber infrastructure is difficult.

Xstream AirFiber is a plug-and-play device with in-built Wi-Fi 6 technology that will offer wide indoor coverage and can simultaneously connect up to 64 devices.

Director of Consumer Business at Bharti Airtel, Shashwat Sharma, announced, “India has seen the rapid growth of home broadband, but there still remain areas with no access to hi-speed internet at home due to the physical challenges of laying fiber in a country the size of India. While fiber to the home will always define the best experience of Wi-Fi at home, AirFiber helps bridge the experience gap for everyone else. Today, we are delighted to launch Xstream AirFiber for consumers in Delhi and Mumbai, with a pan-India rollout planned soon.”

Airtel also plans to launch the service in multiple cities and scale up nationally. All Xstream AirFiber devices will be manufactured in India under the “Make in India” program.

Airtel Xstream AirFiber service is available on an affordable 799 plan, which offers up to 100 Mbps speed. The plan can be secured for a duration of six months with a one-time refundable security deposit of Rs. 2500.