Ericsson has signed an MoU with Bharat Sanchar Nigam (BSNL) for developing new 5G use cases, knowledge sharing on 5G technology, industry and innovation trends including 3GPP standardization progress.
Note that this is not a telecom equipment deal between BSNL and Ericsson. BSNL is keen to make investment in 5G as and when India auctions 5G spectrum. India government indicated that the operators will be able to purchase spectrum in 2019.

BSNL will leverage Ericsson’s 5G Center of Excellence established earlier this year at IIT Delhi to work on evaluating benefits of 5G technology in areas like rural connectivity, connected healthcare, industrial automation, public safety, video surveillance, energy and agriculture amongst others.

“5G and IoT will enable new opportunities and create new ecosystems and through this association with Ericsson, we intend to take the lead in the development of these new technologies,” Anupam Shrivastava, CMD of BSNL, said.

Ericsson earlier conducted a live demonstration of 5G technology in India showcasing speeds of 5.7 GBPS and ultra-low latency of less than 3 milliseconds.

Earlier this year, Ericsson set up a Center of Excellence and Innovation Lab for 5G at the IIT Delhi.

An Ericsson report earlier said 5G enabled digitization revenue potential in India will be $27.3 billion by 2026.

The Indian operators can generate additional revenue of $13 billion or half of the stated potential if they take up roles beyond being connectivity and infrastructure providers to become service enablers and service creators, Ericsson said.