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Bharti Airtel and Ericsson have expanded their long-standing partnership through a new agreement aimed at supporting Airtel’s rollout of Fixed Wireless Access (FWA) services in India. The deployment will utilise Ericsson’s core network portfolio to enhance Airtel’s core network capabilities and capacity for FWA, with the goal of improving user experience for Airtel’s FWA customers.
As part of the agreement, Ericsson will introduce a new platform that supports higher network capacity while maintaining a smaller physical footprint and improved total cost of ownership. This deployment builds on the previously announced dual-mode 5G Core solution deal between the two companies, which laid the foundation for a unified and future-ready network infrastructure as Airtel advances towards 5G Standalone (SA) deployment.
Randeep Sekhon, Chief Technology Officer at Bharti Airtel, commented, “Ericsson's packet core deployment architecture represents a significant enhancement, enabling improvements in network quality and reliability. The implementation is designed to meet the increasing demand for data services and ensure consistent performance and connectivity, even during peak usage.”
Andres Vicente, Head of Market Area Southeast Asia, Oceania and India at Ericsson, stated,“We are pleased to continue our collaboration with Airtel in supporting the next phase of their 5G journey through Fixed Wireless Access. Ericsson’s Local Packet Gateway (LPG) is engineered to deliver high performance, scalability, and efficiency, making it suitable for Airtel’s FWA strategy. This initiative also supports broader goals of digital inclusion and connectivity in India.”
The agreement builds on a partnership between Bharti Airtel and Ericsson that spans more than 25 years and includes collaborations across multiple generations of mobile technology. This latest initiative reflects both companies’ ongoing commitment to supporting the evolution of India’s digital infrastructure.