Airtel signs $1 billion deal with Nokia to boost network strength and customer experience

Airtel signs $1 billion deal with Nokia, a multi-year deal to deploy Nokia’s Single Radio Access Network (SRAN) solution across the 9 Indian circles, It will help Airtel to boost customer experience and 4G network strength.

The rollout will also be the foundation for giving 5G network, will see around 300,000 radio units deployed across the various spectrum bands, including 900 Mhz, 1800 Mhz, 2100 Mhz, and 2300 Mhz, and is supposed to be completed by 2022.

These Nokia provided networks that will provide Airtel the best suitable platform for when 5G networks launch in India, with their low latency and faster speeds. Nokia has been named a market leader in LTE terms of performance with network speed, reliability, and data performance by a network performance testing company RootMetrics3.

Nokia Global Services will also play a vital part in the installation, planning, and deployment of the project, which will be performed via the cloud-based Nokia Delivery Platform.

India is the 2nd biggest telecoms market in the world and is expected to reach 920 million unique mobile users by 2025, which will also include 88 million 5G connections according to the GSMA2.

Nokia’s SRAN solution will help Airtel to address the growing demand by adding network strength and by providing a quality customer experience.

Nokia will be the single provider of SRAN in these 9 Indian circles. Nokia and Airtel deal also includes Nokia’s RAN equipment, including its AirScale Radio Access, AirScale BaseBand and NetAct OSS solution, which will help Airtel to monitor and control its network efficiently.

Gopal Vittal, MD & CEO (India and South Asia) at Bharti Airtel, said: “Airtel has consistently topped network performance charts in studies conducted by multiple global experts. 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 and Chief Executive Officer at Nokia, commented: “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. We have worked closely with Bharti Airtel for many years and are delighted to extend this long-standing partnership further. 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.”