In massive development, Telecom operator Bharti Airtel has now secured a staggering multi-year contract worth $1 billion deal with Nokia to enhance its network capacity. The mind-boggling agreement will see Nokia deploy as many as 300,000 new radio units across India by the year 2022 and thus it will enhance network capacity which also prepares the ground for the decision to move to the next-generation i.e. 5G.
India is the world’s second-largest telecoms market with a huge population of 130 crores. Nokia predicts it will grow to 92 crores unique mobile customers within five years as online demand rises.
“This is an important agreement for the future of connectivity in one of the world’s largest telecoms markets and solidifies our position in India,” outgoing Nokia CEO Rajeev Suri added in a statement.
According to the deal, Finnish network equipment maker Nokia will deploy its SRAN solution across nine networks in the country. The SRAN solution assists operators manage their 2G, 3G and 4G networks from one platform and thus reducing network complexity, amplifying cost efficiencies and future-proofing investment.
“We have been working with Nokia for more than a decade now and are delighted to use Nokia’s SRAN products in further improving the capacity and coverage of our network as we prepare for the 5G era,” Gopal Vittal, MD and CEO (India and South Asia) at Bharti Airtel, said in a statement.
It is well-known that Nokia is the largest 4G radio vendor in the Airtel network in India. It is worth mentioning here that Ericsson, Huawei and ZTE follow next on the list.
It should be noted that the new deployment of radio units will spread across 900 Mhz, 1800 Mhz, 2100 Mhz and 2300 Mhz and will help telco enhance its 4G services and lay the foundation for 5G services in the future.
“These Nokia supplied networks will give Airtel the best possible platform for when 5G networks launch across the country, with their low latency and faster speeds,” Nokia said in a statement.