Nokia wins multi-billion dollar deal from Bharti Airtel to deploy 5G, 4G network

Nokia-Airtel deal: Bharti Airtel today announced that it has awarded a multi-billion dollar contract to the Finnish telecom equipment supplier Nokia for delivering 4G and 5G equipment. The company said that this equipment will be used for deploying telecom services in cities across the country.

According to the details shared by the company, Nokia will deploy equipment from its 5G AirScale portfolio including base stations, base-band units and the latest generation of Massive MIMO radios, powered by its energy-efficient ReefShark System-on-Chip technology. "These solutions will enhance Airtel’s network with exceptional 5G capacity and coverage and support its network evolution," Airtel said in a release today.

The company also said that Nokia will modernise Airtel's existing 4G network with multi-band radios and base-band equipment, which can also support 5G network.

In addition to this, Airtel will leverage Nokia's 'MantaRay Network Management for intelligent network monitoring and management that uses AI-based tools covering digital deployment, optimization and technical support'.

"This strategic partnership with Nokia will future proof our network infrastructure and provide customers with unparalleled user experience along with a network that will be eco-friendly to minimize environmental impact," Gopal Vittal, Vice Chairman and MD, Bharti Airtel, said on the occasion.

"This strategic agreement further solidifies our long-standing collaboration with Airtel and our footprint in India. Our industry-leading AirScale portfolio and AI-based services will enhance the energy efficiency of Airtel’s network, enabling premium 5G capacity and connectivity with the highest quality of service for subscribers," Pekka Lundmark, President and CEO of Nokia, added.

It is worth noting that Nokia's Swedish rival Ericsson had already won a deal of similar size with Bharti earlier in October.

India last year helped Nokia and Ericsson offset weakness in demand from US customers. However, the volume of orders from India slowed down significantly after a growth spurt last year.

Nokia's share price rose 3.1 percent by 0829 GMT.