Bharti Airtel selects Nokia Networks for 3G

Bharti Airtel selects Nokia Networks for 3G

Indian conglomerate Bharti Airtel has signed a contract with Nokia Networks for the enhancement of its 3G network in the Mumbai, West Bengal and Bihar telecoms circles in the country.

The Finnish vendor will deploy its single RAN advanced platform and the deal also includes an India-first dual-band, dual-carrier 3G network implementation, designed to complement Mumbai’s existing 3G network in the 2100MHz band.

Abhay Savargaonkar, director of network services group at Bharti Airtel, said that the company was committed to enriching lives and is continually looking to offer innovative data services to enhance the power of the mobile internet.

“The association with Nokia is in line with this and will enable millions of customers to experience an enhanced 3G network in these circles,” Savargaonkar added.

Nokia’s single RAN advanced platform will also support Bharti Airtel in its TD-LTE roll-out and is expected to pave the way for FDD-LTE in the near future.

“With Indian subscribers increasingly looking for high-speed mobile broadband services, 3G is a very important technology option that operators in India need to embrace to fulfil the demands of their subscribers,” said Rohan Dhamija, partner and head of India and South Asia at Analysys Mason.

“Expanding 3G networks as in this deal, and upgrading the existing 2G networks to 3G across the country by operators will allow subscribers to enjoy rich multi-media applications and services such as their favourite movies, online games, and sports like cricket without buffering on their mobile screen. Ubiquitous 3G network coverage in India means availability of high-speed broadband services to subscribers and increased revenue for operators.”

Earlier this month, Bharti Airtel announced that it is abandoning its bid for Loop Mobile following delayed approval from Indian regulators.



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