Nokia Networks has announced that it has grabbed a 3G contract from Bharti Airtel that includes India-first dual band, dual carrier 3G network implementation, refarming 900 MHz to complement Mumbai’s existing 3G network on 2100 MHz. This would enable advanced radio platform and services, thus improved 3G services for Bharti Airtel’s customers in Mumbai, West Bengal and Bihar telecom circles, said the company.
Under the contract, Nokia Networks will supply its Single RAN Advanced platform, based on its energy-efficient Flexi Multiradio 10 Base Station. This will also support Bharti Airtel in its TD-LTE rollout and pave the way to FDD-LTE in the near future, said Nokia Networks.
Nokia Networks will deploy its Flexi Lite Base Station, a small all-in-one base station optimized for indoor and outdoor micro-cell deployments to provide the best coverage in densely crowded areas and also supply extremely compact, highly scalable and flexible multi-technology, all-IP multicontroller RNC (mcRNC).
It will also provide a range of services such as network planning and optimization, network implementation, network operations, and care services including hardware and software maintenance as well as competence development.
Commenting on the partnership, Sandeep Girotra, Vice President and Head of India region, Nokia Networks, said,
This deal bolsters our long-term partnership with Bharti Airtel, and we are committed to helping the operator provide further improved mobile broadband experience for its customers. While Nokia’s Single RAN Advanced platform will ensure a reliable 3G mobile broadband connectivity, our comprehensive services will ensure smooth deployment.
Abhay Savargaonkar, Director Network Services Group, Bharti Airtel said,
The association with Nokia is in line with this and will enable millions of customers to experience an enhanced 3G network in these circles.