After Huawei, Airtel to replace ZTE in Punjab; Nokia to get new 4G biz

NEW DELHI: After replacing Huawei in Rajasthan and Rest of Tamil Nadu circles with Ericsson, Sunil Mittal-driven Bharti Airtel is likely to soon replace China’s ZTE with Finland’s Nokia as the main 4G network gear supplier in the Punjab circle for future expansion and modernisation, people familiar with the matter said.

The move is in line with the Sunil Mittal-led telco’s strategy to cut dependence on Chinese vendors who are facing the heat in some global markets amid alleged cyber snooping concerns, which has given rise to fears of disruption in supplies.

People familiar with the matter said that the telco had invited requests for proposals (RFPs) and has narrowed down on Nokia for the circle. “The contract will soon be finalised with Nokia,” a person said, adding that the deployment will take place in a few districts to begin with.