Finnish telecom gear maker Nokia is reportedly bullish on India's broadband market, leveraging its leadership in fixed networks and the recent launch of a local 5G fixed wireless access (FWA) manufacturing facility, according to Sandra Motley, President of Nokia's Fixed Networks Business Group, ET reported.
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Dominance in Fixed Networks
Nokia leads the global broadband services market outside China, holding over 50 percent market share in India and the US for XGSPON and FWA technologies. Motley highlighted India's rapid adoption of Fiber-to-the-Home (FTTH) solutions, with 40 million homes already connected to fiber. "We see about eight to ten million homes being connected every year in India," Motley said, as per the report.
Localised Manufacturing Push
Aligned with India's "Make in India" initiative, Nokia recently unveiled a 5G FWA equipment manufacturing facility. With 18,000 employees and ongoing investments in Chennai's factory and R&D, Nokia is doubling down on its commitment to local production, the report said.
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Focus on Private Players
While Nokia collaborates with government-run BSNL on rural projects, its primary partnerships include Bharti Airtel, Reliance Jio, and regional ISPs such as ACT and GTPL. "We have done some of the deployments at BSNL. The government has made certain requests for proposals (RFP) on this for connecting rural areas," Motley reportedly said, addressing the balance between government and private sector business in India
Emerging Technologies
Nokia is betting on millimetre wave (mmWave) spectrum to address bandwidth challenges in FWA. Motley sees the ecosystem maturing, with widespread adoption anticipated by 2026.
Sharing her views about the mmWave spectrum, Motley reportedly said, "We see millimeter wave as the next wave of technology for fixed wireless access that can solve the problem of spectrum getting over. We actually have fixed wireless access products using millimeter wave band frequencies and we've got some unique technology solutions."
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Bridging the Digital Divide
When asked about the ecosystem's readiness for mmWave and its potential to scale broadband services in India, she commented: "I think it is developing, and is an early start but we have about five commercial customers with millimeter wave and about 10 to 20 that are trialing it. And that's why I say probably 2026 is when it's going to be a bigger trend."
