Finnish network equipment manufacturer Nokia has secured a multi-year contract to boost the capacity of one of India’s largest mobile operators. Nokia and Bharti Airtel today announced a multi-year agreement to deploy Nokia’s SRAN solution across nine circles in India.

The deal, which an industry source told AFP is valued at almost USD 1 billion, will see Nokia deploy 300000 new radio units across the country by 2022, boosting network capacity and preparing the ground for the move to next-generation 5G, Nokia said in a statement.

The Nokia supplied networks will give Airtel the best possible platform when 5G networks launch across the country, with their low latency and faster speeds.

Major Step to enhance current networks

Gopal Vittal, MD & CEO (India and South Asia) at Bharti Airtel, said: “We are committed to continuously invest in emerging network technologies to provide a best-in-class experience to our customers. This initiative with Nokia is a major step in this direction. 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.”

Rajeev Suri, President & Chief Executive Officer at Nokia, added, “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. This project will enhance their current networks and deliver best-in-class connectivity to Airtel customers but also lay the foundations for 5G services in the future.”

Second largest Telecom market in the world

According to the GSMA, India is the second largest telecom market in the world and is anticipated to reach 920 million unique mobile customers by 2025 that will also comprise 88 million 5G connections.

The statement added that Nokia’s SRAN solution facilitates operators to manage their 2G, 3G and 4G networks from one platform reducing network complexity, increasing cost efficiencies and future-proof investment.

“The deal will also include Nokia RAN equipment, including its AirScale Radio Access, AirScaleBaseBand and NetAct OSS solution, which will help Airtel to monitor and manage its network effectively. Nokia Global Services will also play a crucial role in the installation, planning and deployment of the project, which will be executed through the cloud-based Nokia Delivery Platform,” said GSMA.