The largest mobile operator in India, Bharti Airtel has signed a four-year agreement with Ericsson to roll out 4G (LTE-FDD) network for its subscribers in Delhi. The contract is part of Airtel's 4G capacity expansion plan to meet growing customer demand for mobile broadband services and to enhance network performance. According to Ericsson Mobility Report, LTE subscriptions in India are expected to reach more than 230 million by 2020, forming around 17 percent of the total subscription base.
As part of the contract, Ericsson will provide its multi-standard radio equipment from the Ericsson RBS 6000 base station family for macro and small cell networks. The agreement also includes deployment of Ericsson's LTE RAN software for Bharti Airtel. In addition to Delhi, Ericsson has also partnered Bharti Airtel to deploy LTE networks in 4 other circles.
Abhay Savargaonkar, CTO, Bharti Airtel
The Delhi market is currently experiencing a rapid increase in the uptake of data-centric services. As market leaders, we at Airtel are deeply committed towards delivering the best data experience for smartphone users and have made investment in high speed 4G network to improve the data experience of the customer. We are delighted to partner with Ericsson to offer a world-class 4G experience for our customers in Delhi.
Paolo Colella, Head of Region India, Ericsson
We are proud to be partnering with Airtel for the 4G roll out in Delhi. Our global leadership and expertise made it possible to roll out the LTE network in record time. LTE will be a key enabler in realizing Ericsson's vision of the Networked Society and our high capacity LTE network infrastructure will enable Airtel subscribers to enjoy a seamless, high-speed mobile broadband experience.
