Bharti Airtel has signed a $ 1 billion (about Rs 7,636 crore) deal with Finnish giant Nokia to further strengthen its 4G network in the country and improve its readiness towards acquiring 5G-related capabilities. The deal between the two companies is for several years. Under the deal, Nokia will deploy the necessary equipment to develop Airtel's 5G network capacity in nine circles of the country. Nokia is the largest vendor in Airtel's 4G network. Under this agreement, the Finnish company will deploy 300,000 radio units of different spectrum bands. This will help in creating the necessary infrastructure for 5G connectivity in future.
Gopal Vittal, MD and CEO (India and South Asia) of Bharti Airtel said in a statement, "We have been working with Nokia for more than a decade and are excited about our potential and network. We will use Nokia's SRAN products to further improve coverage. " Reliable sources related to the industry told IANS on Tuesday that the size of the deal is about one billion dollars (about 7,636 crore).
"We have been working with Bharti Airtel for the past several years," said Rajiv Suri, Nokia's President and Chief Executive Officer (CEO). We are very happy to carry forward this long-standing partnership. This project will improve their current network capacity and provide better connectivity to Airtel customers. Along with this, the foundation of the infrastructure required for 5G services in future will also be prepared.
