Airtel signs ₹7,636 crore deal with Nokia to get ready for 5G era

HELSINKI/NEW DELHI : In a bid to strengthen its 4G network and enhance 5G capabilities in India, Bharti Airtel has inked a $1 billion (nearly ₹7,636 crore), multi-year deal with Nokia to deploy the Finnish majors 5G-ready solutions across nine circles in the country.

Nokia, which is the largest 4G vendor in Airtel network, will help lay the foundation for providing 5G connectivity in the future by deploying 300,000 radio units across several spectrum bands in those circles expected to be completed by 2022.

Reliable industry sources told IANS on Tuesday that the deal size is approximately $1 billion.