Bharti Airtel in pact with Nokia Networks to expand 4G presence

NEW DELHI: Bharti Airtel has entered into a $150 million deal with Nokia Networks to expand its 4G presence to six new circles using the latter's radio networks.

The deal marks India’s first FDD-LTE deployment on 1800 MHz that will witness the launch of super-fast mobile broadband in six circles--Mumbai, Kerala, Punjab, Madhya Pradesh, Orissa and West Bengal.

Nokia Networks,  a supplier of Bharti Airtel’s TD-LTE network, will also deploy TD-LTE on the 2300 MHz in 2 other circles.

Bharti Airtel, a leading global telecommunications company with operations in 20 countries across Asia and Africa.

"Cloud-ready network management system, NetAct, for effective and consolidated monitoring and optimization of the LTE network,” a statement said.

“Compact and energy-efficient Flexi Multiradio 10 Base Station, a software-defined radio platform which can be flexibly configured to increase network capacity depending on data consumption,” it added.

"With our commitment to build an efficient internet ecosystem in India, we continue to introduce new technologies and strengthen our existing capabilities. Having already launched the high-speed 4G services across four circles of India, we are now looking at extending this enriching high-speed broadband experience to new circles on 1800 MHz band. Our association with Nokia Networks will help us support our vision and provide a superior 4G network,” said Abhay Savargaonkar, CTO, Bharti Airtel.

“We are happy to expand our TD-LTE footprint with Bharti and partner with them to deploy India’s first FDD-LTE in six new circles. Our rich experience gained in deploying FDD-LTE and TD-LTE to operators around the globe will ensure a fast and smooth network rollout. On top of that, our Flexi Zone** solution will ensure the best possible LTE performance even in dense areas,” said Sandeep Girotra, Vice President and Head of India Region, Nokia Networks.