Indian operator Bharti Airtel completed the deployment of 5G throughout a newly-launched segment of the Pune Metro, pitching itself as the first network provider to offer connectivity across the entire stretch.

In a brief statement Airtel explained it switched on 5G for the recently-inaugurated North-South corridor of the Pune Metro, which covers five new stations and stretches more than 17 kilometres.

As part of the project Airtel modernised “a significant number of sites” along the route and deployed dedicated in-building solutions in stations to provide consistent coverage throughout the line’s underground stretch.

Airtel CEO for Maharashtra and Goa George Mathen said the operator “deployed additional nodes and sites across the new metro route” to ensure commuters could access high speed mobile internet.

Including the extension, the metro covers 33 kilometres and has over 30 stations. Airtel claimed it is the “only operator to the ensure connectivity on the entire metro route”.