India’s Bharti Airtel selects Ericsson, Nokia, Samsung for 5G network deployment
According to the Economic Times of India, Indian telecom operator Bharti Airtel has officially awarded 5G contracts to Ericsson, Nokia and Samsung, and announced that it will start 5G network deployment this month.
In the just-concluded 5G spectrum auction in India, Bharti Airtel acquired 19,800MHz of spectrum for $5.4 billion, covering the 900MHz, 1800MHz, 2100MHz, 3300MHz and 26GHz bands.
Under the cooperation agreement, Bharti Airtel will deploy 5G RAN products and wireless system solutions from Ericsson, as well as microwave mobile transmission solutions. The Swedish equipment supplier will provide 5G network connectivity in 12 telecom areas of Bharti Airtel.
At the same time, Nokia will provide Bharti Airtel with its AirScale product portfolio, as well as network management, deployment and planning solutions and services, as well as optimization services. According to Nokia, its 5G RAN contracts cover “about 45 percent of the market.”
In addition, Bharti Airtel has also brought in South Korean supplier Samsung as its 5G network deployment partner for the first time. (Ace)
