Bharti Airtel and Nokia Networks India have inked a deal over the roll-out of high speed 4G services in 6 new circles across the nation. It’s the first time that the country will witness FDD-LTE being deployed on the 1800MHz band.
Airtel’s TD-LTE network is already supported by Nokia Networks in India. The latter is also commissioned by the telecom company to make provision for the next generation technology in the 2300MHz band in 2 more sub-regions.
At present, Airtel offers 4G services in 4 key areas in which it holds licenses. Andhra Pradesh, Himachal Pradesh, Karnataka, North East, Punjab and Rajasthan are the 6 circles that will benefit from new deal with Nokia. Accordingly, the latter will deliver a range of services to the operator.
Also see: Huawei signs a 4G deal with Bharti Airtel in India
Network planning and optimization, implementation, systems integration and hardware care will be one aspect of it. Monitoring and control of the LTE network will be supported by cloud-based NetAct technology. Airtel will even make use of Nokia’s Flexi Zones and Flexi Multiradio 10 base stations.
Flexi Zone which is designed for LTE and Wi-Fi compatibility with regards to macro networks, can help enhance capacity by letting Airtel establish a number of access points. It is attractive because it shaves down the total cost of ownership when compared to small cell systems, as noted by Nokia Networks.
The Nokia Flexi Multiradio 10 base station that Airtel will also be depending on, boasts of rendering high efficiency in terms of power consumption when pitted against cabinet-based sites. It enables a throughput of 10Gbps, apart from carrying the advantages of being weatherproof, compact and modular.
By continuing its partnership with Nokia Networks over the launch of 4G services, Airtel is ensuring that it’s ready to meet the growing demand for high speed Internet services in India optimally.