Telecom major Vodafone Idea (VIL) and the engineering and construction firm Larsen and Toubro (L&T )'s world and communication business have teamed up for a pilot project to explore 5G-based smart city solutions.

Both companies indicated the pilot project would be set up in Pune on government-allocated 5G spectrum to visualize and analyze smart city applications as part of the ongoing 5G trials on government-allocated spectrum.

The companies will work together to test and validate 5G use cases based on Internet of Things (IoT) and Video AI (Artificial Intelligence) technologies, leveraging L&T's Smart City platform fusion, addressing urbanisation, safety, and security challenges, and providing citizens with smart solutions.

The Telecom Department has assigned VIL 26 GHz and 3.5 GHz spectrum in the mmWave range for 5G network experiments and application cases.

With its original equipment manufacturer (OEM) partners, the telecom major has also achieved peak download rates of up to 1.5 Gbps in its 3.5 Ghz band 5G experimental network.

"We are seeing an exponential rise in demand for smarter and more intelligent solutions in this constantly-evolving world, and L&T Smart World is committed to leveraging the latest technological innovations in the IoT and telecommunications areas to benefit society at large”, says J D Patil, director and senior executive vice president (Defense and Smart Technologies), L&T.

Previously, the telecom major announced that in its 5G experiments, it had reached peak speeds of over 3.7 Gbps with very low latency on the mmWave frequency band. Along with its technology vendors, the telecom major was said to be undertaking 5G testing on government-allocated 5G spectrum in the cities of Pune and Gandhinagar.

VIL has tested 5G in a lab setting in Pune that includes an end-to-end captive network of Cloud Core, as well as new generation Transport and Radio Access Network. Top speeds were attained in this testing, according to the telecom major employing cutting-edge equipment in a 5G non-standalone network architecture with NR Radios.

The Department of Telecommunications has given VIL mmWave high bands like 26 GHz, as well as the regular 3.5 GHz frequency band, for 5G network experiments. For 5G, mmWave provides a wide spectrum and capacity across the smallest distances, resulting in lower latency.

On that page the telecom major’s CTOJagbir Singh commented that, “during the early rounds of the 5G trials on the government-allocated 5G spectrum bands, we were delighted with the speed and latency findings. We are presently testing NextGen 5G technology to be able to create a totally digital experience for enterprises and customers in India in the future. We have established a solid 4G network across India, delivering fastest 4G speeds and a 5G-ready network”.

The 5G network's high speed and low latency offer capabilities like better surveillance and video streaming/broadcast, paving the way for the emergence of 5G smart cities and smart industries.

Back to the telecom major’s collaboration with L&T, its Chief Enterprise Business Officer Abhijit Kishore states that telecom solutions are the foundation for creating smart and sustainable cities.

"The introduction of 5G technology brings up entirely new options to handle urban growth concerns and deliver end-to-end solutions to enable the long-term creation of smart cities”, adds Kishore.