New pact with Airtel provides respite to Nokia globally

New Delhi: Nokia is set to deploy around 300,000 radio units for Bharti Airtel by 2022 under the newly-reconstructed multi-year deal valued at around $1 billion to allow the telco to significantly expand its 4G network aggressively and to lay the foundation for highspeed 5G technology.

“We are committed to continuously invest in emerging network technologies to provide a best-in-class experience to our customers. This initiative with Nokia is a major step in this direction,” Gopal Vittal, MD & CEO (India and South Asia) at Bharti Airtel, said.

Airtel and Nokia didn’t comment on the deal size, but officials directly involved put the value at around $1 billion.

ET was the first to report on the deal in its April 28 edition. The deal in India is significant for Nokia globally at a time when it hasn’t been able to secure any new 5G contract in China from any of the three service providers. All the three Chinese telcos gave deals reportedly worth $10 billion to Huawei and ZTE, and some business to Ericson.