Uninor has awarded a Rs 1200 crore three-year contract to Chinese manufacturer Huawei in order to modernize its infrastructure in India and expand its 2G network. The deal will also ensure the company is 4G-ready in the six circles it has a presence in.
It currently covers Maharashtra, Gujarat, Uttar Pradesh East and West, Bihar (along with Jharkhand) and Andhra Pradesh. The company has been using Nokia so far for their 2G network deployment in these areas. The Finland-based brand is currently working on Uninor’s Assam circle which will become operational soon.
The network operator recently stated that it would not remain a 2G player permanently. It’s moving towards offering 4G in the country by conducting LTE trials using the 1800MHz (FDD+LTE) band. The equipment Huawei installs as part of the contract can further be used for implementing the faster network as well.
Uninor has also applied for its permit to be converted to a unified license, which means it could use its 1800MHz band for 2G, 3G and 4G without the need to buy more spectrum. According to The Economic Times, the environment to offer the FDD+LTE band is more developed globally than the 2300MHz band owned by other Indian companies.
Also See: Free Wikipedia access to be granted to Uninor subscribers
The telecom brand currently has a base of 46 million subscribers using the 2G network. 1.3 million were added during the second quarter ending on June 30. Uninor claims the figure is a 22% increase over the same period of time last year. The operator further said that over 26% of its consumers are active users of the internet.
Uninor is aiming for the number to be 50% by 2017. The contract with Huawei and the increasing demand for faster data speeds will probably go a long way in achieving that.