Telecom gears maker, Ericsson on Wednesday said that it has won a multi-year, multi-billion extension deal from Bharti Airtel (Airtel) for 4G and 5G radio access network (RAN) products and solutions.

As per the new contract, Ericsson will deploy centralised RAN and Open RAN-ready solutions for network transformation which will help customers with wider coverage and enhanced capacity on the network, the company said.

Ericsson will also undertake the software upgradation of its current deployed 4G radios thereby enhancing the customer experience, it said.

Enhancing customers’ experience

“This deployment will enable us to further improve the speed, reliability, and coverage of our network, ensuring an exceptional experience for our customers,” Randeep Sekhon, Chief Technology Officer, Bharti Airtel, said.

Ericsson has been a connectivity partner for Airtel for over 25 years, supporting every generation of mobile communications, the company said adding that as a global leader in 5G, Ericsson currently powers 170 live 5G networks in more than 70 countries.

“This partnership extension reflects our shared vision to build a robust 4G and 5G infrastructure for Bharti Airtel to serve the connectivity needs of its customer base – including the new 5G use cases as they emerge. We will work closely with Bharti Airtel to deliver great user experiences for their customers,” Andres Vicente, Head of Ericsson South-east Asia, Oceania and India said.

Airtel had recently (November 20) awarded multi-year, multi-billion deal to Nokia also to deploy 4G and 5G equipment across key Indian cities and States.

As per the contract, Nokia will deploy equipment from its cutting-edge 5G AirScale portfolio including base stations, baseband units and the latest generation of Massive multiple-input multiple-output (MIMO) radios, all powered by its energy-efficient ReefShark System-on-Chip technology.

These solutions would enhance Airtel’s network with exceptional 5G capacity and coverage and support its network evolution, Nokia had said. Furthermore, Nokia would also modernise Airtel’s existing 4G network with multiband radios and baseband equipment, which can also support 5G.

Airtel is the second largest telecom operator in the country with a subscriber base of 406.5 million as of the September-end, with 263.6 million on 4G and 5G.

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