Bharti Airtel has signed a has 4-year contract with Nokia Networks to roll out its 3G radio network in 5 new telecom circles and for further network expansion in 3 existing telecom circles. The expansion order covers network planning and optimization, network implementation, network operations, project management and care services, including hardware and software maintenance.
Nokia will be deploying its Flexi Multiradio 10 Base Station, a software-defined radio platform complemented with Flexi Lite Base Station, a small all-in-one base station optimized for indoor and outdoor micro-cell deployments with superior capacity and coverage in densely crowded areas. Nokia Networks said that the Flexi Multiradio 10 Based Station is extremely compact, highly scalable, boasts flexible multi-technology and comes with the all-IP multicontroller RNC (mcRNC). Nokia Networks will also be deploying its NetAct, a cloud-ready virtualized OSS, for effective and consolidated monitoring and optimization.
Abhay Savargaonkar, Director of Network Services Group, Bharti Airtel
The Indian telecom environment is currently experiencing a rapid increase in the uptake of data-centric services. As market leaders, we at Airtel are deeply committed to delivering the best data experience for smartphone users and making continued network investments to help us realize the vast potential of this data opportunity. We are happy to further extend our long term association with Nokia Networks towards innovating our network’s service delivery mechanism and deliver a host of multi-media apps as well as services for Airtel customers.
Sandeep Girotra, Vice President and Head of India Market, Nokia Networks
The strong traction in India’s 3G market, driven by the rising demand for data-intensive apps and services, is the primary impetus behind Bharti Airtel’s 3G expansion initiatives with Nokia Networks. With this project, we have further strengthened Bharti’s 3G proposition in 8 business-critical circles in India including 5 new circles, adding yet another dimension to our collaboration which continues to gain momentum with such strategic engagements.
