As part of the agreement with Airtel, Ericsson will also undertake the software upgrade of its current deployed 4G radios
Swedish vendor Ericsson has won a multi-year extension deal from Indian carrier Bharti Airtel for 4G and 5G RAN products and solutions.
Under the terms of the new contract, Ericsson will deploy centralized RAN and Open RAN-ready solutions for network transformation to help Airtel achieve wider coverage and enhanced capacity on its network.
As part of the agreement with Airtel, the European vendor will also undertake the software upgrade of its current deployed 4G radios with the aim of enhancing the customer experience.
Randeep Sekhon, CTO at Bharti Airtel, said: “This deployment will enable us to further improve the speed, reliability, and coverage of our network, ensuring an exceptional experience for our customers.”
“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,” said Andres Vicente, head of Ericsson Southeast Asia, Oceania and India.
In October, international press reports stated that Ericsson had secured a new multi-billion dollar contract for selling 5G equipment from Bharti Airtel.
Much of the deployment stipulated in this new deal is likely to happen next year, according to the report.
The report noted that the new contracts are expected to boost Ericsson’s revenue in 2025 after the vendor experienced a decline in contracts from India in the first half of the year.
Earlier this month, Finnish vendor Nokia said it has secured a multi-year extension deal from Bharti Airtel to deploy 4G and 5G equipment across key Indian cities and states.
Under the terms of the deal, Nokia will deploy equipment from its 5G AirScale portfolio including base stations, baseband units and the latest generation of Massive MIMO radios, all powered by its ReefShark System-on-Chip technology.
The European vendor noted that these solutions will enhance Airtel’s network with additional 5G capacity and coverage. Furthermore, Nokia will modernize Airtel’s existing 4G network with multiband radios and baseband equipment, which can also support 5G.
Nokia and Airtel had previously launched the so-called ‘Green 5G Initiative’, aimed at improving the energy efficiency of Airtel’s network and reducing carbon emissions.
