Airtel enter into a multi-year deal with Nokia to boost its network capacity

Airtel and Nokia announced a multi-year agreement to deploy Nokia’s Single Radio Access Network (SRAN) solution across 9 circles in India. This move, Airtel says, will help in enhancing the network capacity of its 4G networks, and also improve customer experience.

The rollout see approximately 300,000 radio units deployed across several spectrum bands, including 900 Mhz, 1800 Mhz, 2100 Mhz and 2300 Mhz, and is expected to be completed by 2022, said a statement from the company. This development is also expected to lay the foundation for providing 5G connectivity in the future.

Gopal Vittal, MD and CEO, 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.”

India happens to be the second-largest telecoms market in the world and is expected to reach 920 million unique mobile customers by 2025, which will also include 88 million 5G connections according to the GSMA. The country is experiencing a massive increase in demand for data services with traffic increasing by 47 percent in 2019 alone, according to Nokia’s MBiT Index 2020. Airtel says that Nokia’s SRAN solution will help the company address this growing demand by adding network capacity and ensuring a superior quality of experience to its customers.

Nokia's SRAN solution helps operators to manage their 2G, 3G and 4G networks from one platform reducing network complexity, increasing cost efficiencies and future-proofing investment. Nokia will be the sole provider of SRAN in these 9 circles in India. The deal will also include Nokia’s RAN equipment, including its AirScale Radio Access, AirScale BaseBand and NetAct OSS solution, which will help Airtel to monitor and manage its network. Nokia Global Services will also play a crucial role in the installation, planning and deployment of the project, which will be executed via the cloud-based Nokia Delivery Platform.

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.”