Nokia to provide equipment from market-leading AirScale portfolio
Ericsson, Nokia and Samsung have signed network agreements with Bharti Airtel to commence 5G deployment in August 2022 covering its acquisition of 19867.8 MHZ spectrum in 900 MHz, 1800 MHz, 2100 MHz, 3300 MHz, and 26 GHz frequency.
Speaking about the agreement, Börje Ekholm, President and CEO, Ericsson, said, “With Ericsson’s unrivalled, global 5G deployment experience, we will help Bharti Airtel deliver the full benefits of 5G to Indian consumers and enterprises, while seamlessly evolving the Bharti network from 4G to 5G.
“5G will enable India to realize its Digital India vision and foster inclusive development of the country,” said Ekholm on supporting Bharti Airtel with its deployment of 5G in India.
The multi-year deal will see Nokia provide equipment from its market-leading AirScale portfolio along with solutions and services for network management, deployment, planning and optimization services to ensure the best end-user experiences.
Speaking about the partnership, Pekka Lundmark, President and CEO, Nokia, said on 3 Aug 2022, “This landmark deal reinforces our long-standing partnership with Bharti Airtel.
“We are delighted that they have chosen Nokia’s best-in-class AirScale baseband and radio portfolio to deliver superior 5G performance in one of the world’s largest networks. I look forward to our continued successful long-term collaboration in this vital and dynamic market.”
Airtel will also bring in South Korean Major Samsung as a network partner to deploy #Airtel5G. This is the first time that both companies will work together.
“5G will have a powerful impact on India’s consumers and businesses, taking mobile experiences to a new level, introducing a gamut of enhanced capabilities and expanding what is possible,” said Paul (Kyungwhoon) Cheun, President and Head of Networks Business at Samsung Electronics.
Speaking about the partnership, Cheun said, “As a global leader in 5G, Samsung is excited to embark on this 5G journey with Airtel to deliver innovative solutions that will help advance India’s entrepreneurial spirit and open up a new paradigm for the country.”
Airtel has had a long-standing relationship for connectivity and pan-India managed services with Ericsson and Nokia while the partnership with Samsung will begin this year onwards.
The 5G partnerships follow closely on the heels of spectrum auctions conducted by the Department of Telecom in India, where Airtel bid for and acquired
“India’s transition into a digital economy will be led by telecom and 5G presents a game-changing opportunity to drive the digital transformation of industries, enterprises and the socio-economic development of India,” underlined Gopal Vittal, MD and CEO, Airtel.
“We are delighted to announce that Airtel will commence roll out of 5G services in August. Our network agreements are finalized and Airtel will work with the best technology partners from across the world to deliver the full benefits of 5G connectivity to our consumers.”
Choice of multiple partners will enable Airtel to roll out 5G services spanning ultra-high-speeds, low latency and large data handling capabilities, which will enable a superior user experience and allow the pursuit of new, innovative use cases with enterprise and industry customers. fiinews.com
