Bharti Airtel shares surged nearly 3% to ₹1,649.15 on the NSE during intraday trade on February 25, ending a six-day losing streak. The rally came after the telecom giant announced a partnership with Ericsson to deploy 5G Core solutions, supporting its transition to a full-scale 5G Standalone (SA) network over time.

In an exchange filing, Airtel stated, “The collaboration will enable Airtel to seamlessly transition to a commercially live, full-scale 5G Standalone network, bringing high-end 5G capabilities to customers.”

The deal will see Ericsson deploy its Signaling Controller solution within Airtel’s network, along with 5G Standalone-enabled Charging and Policy solutions.

Randeep Sekhon, CTO of Bharti Airtel, said, “This rollout will play a pivotal role in Airtel’s long-term 5G strategy, boosting network capacity and enabling the delivery of innovative, differentiated services to customers.”

Ericsson has been a long-standing technology partner of Bharti Airtel for over 25 years, covering every generation of mobile communication. It was also awarded Airtel’s first 5G contract in India.

By market close, Bharti Airtel shares ended at ₹1,638.45 on the NSE, up 2.32% (₹38.25).