Airtel to deploy massive MIMO technology at IPL venues

NEW DELHI: Airtel said it will deploy the Massive MIMO technology across IPL match venues in Delhi, Mumbai, Hyderabad, Kolkata, Mohali, Indore, Jaipur, Bengaluru and Chennai.

The first venue to go live with Airtel’s Massive MIMO deployment will be the Wankhede Stadium in Mumbai where the first match of the IPL will be played on April 7, 2018.

Airtel was the first mobile operator in India to commercially deploy Massive MIMO. Reliance Jio, Vodafone and Idea Cellular have already been piloting the technology in various circles.


Massive MIMO expands existing network capacity by five to seven times over existing spectrum, thereby improving spectral efficiency. Customers will be able to experience superfast data speeds on Airtel’s 4G network despite the very large number of concurrent users on the network sites at the venue.

“We are deploying this advanced Pre-5G solution to enable a high speed and high capacity in-stadia network experience at IPL match venues. We believe this will enhance the digital experience for our customers and enable them to share, post and stream content seamlessly even in locations with massive crowds," Shyam Mardikar, CTO – Mobile, Bharti Airtel said in a statement.