Bharti Airtel, the second largest telecom operator in India and Swedish gear vendor Ericsson on Wednesday announced the renewal of a multi-year contract for the supply and deployment of 5G solutions from Ericsson. According to Ericsson, the continued deployment of its products and solutions will “enhance” the network capacity of Airtel. Further, the company highlighted that continued deployment of Ericsson products will result in Airtel users witnessing a “superior experience.” It has to be noted that Airtel in early 2020 announced a similar multi-year agreement with Nokia to enhance network capacity and user experience.
Airtel and Ericsson Extend 25-Year Partnership
Ericsson in the release also highlighted that the Airtel by utilising its MINI-LINK 6000 products will also enhance its backhaul capacities of its network.
“At Airtel, we are obsessed with delivering the best network experience to our customers, especially in these unprecedented times when digital connectivity is more important than ever,” Randeep Sekhon, CTO of Bharti Airtel, said in a release. “We are delighted to deepen our partnership with Ericsson as part of our endeavor to build a network ready for 5G and beyond.”
It was highlighted that the renewed agreement carries over the 25-year partnership between Ericsson and Airtel.
Ericsson Products for Airtel to be Manufactured in India
The two companies in July renewed a managed services contract for additional three years. The deal signed in July will see Ericsson deploying its automation machine learning and artificial intelligence (AI) technologies that is said to elevate Airtel network performance and user experience across India.
“We appreciate the trust Airtel has shown in us by making their network 5G-ready and expanding our footprint in their network,” Nunzio Mirtillo, head of Ericsson South East Asia, Oceania and India region, said in the release on Wednesday. “The products manufactured in India will continue to benefit Indian users by enhancing Airtel’s network capacity and enabling it to cater to the country’s fast-growing data traffic needs.”
Ericsson in the release also highlighted that LTE accounts for 49% of mobile subscription in 2019 and is the dominant technology in the country. Further, it was said that LTE subscriptions in India is forecasted to touch 820 million in 2025 from 550 million in 2019.
