Bharti Airtel has selected Ericsson to roll out LTE in India.
This was announced by Ericsson India head Chris Houghton In New Delhi at a press meet.
This is the first FD-LTE deal in the Indian telecom market. Ericsson did not share additional details.
For Ericsson, this is the first 4G deal in India. Chris Houghton told TelecomLead.com: “We are excited about the 4G deal with Airtel. We also look forward to working with all other telecom operators including Reliance Jio Infocomm.”
Airtel in 4G with FD-LTE technology
In February 2014, Bharti Airtel acquired 115 MHz spectrum for Rs 18,530 crore during the spectrum auction.
Bharti Airtel has made an upfront payment of Rs 5,425 crore, with the balance to be paid in ten annual installments of Rs 1,310 crore each in two years.
The company plans to roll-out 4G networks in various circles using FD-LTE technology in the 1800MHz band besides its existing TD-LTE roll-out in the 2300 MHz band, giving it a pan-India 4G footprint.
Airtel is yet to announce its 4G launch plans using FD-LTE technology. Idea Cellular earlier said it would wait for the right market conditions.
Airtel is the first Indian telecom to launch LTE on TD-LTE technology in the country.
Airtel recently launched LTE in Nashik, the 3rd city in Maharashtra after Pune and Nagpur and the 15th city in the country to get Airtel 4G.
Last week, Vodafone India said it would start 4G trials on FD-LTE technology.
Reliance Jio Infocomm will be launching 4G services on FD-LTE and TD-LTE next year. The RIL venture acquired spectrum in 14 key circles across India in the 1800 MHz band.
Reliance Jio plans to use this spectrum, ranging from 2×5 MHz to 2x7MHz in each of these 14 circles, in conjunction with its pan India 2300 MHz spectrum to address the expected surge in demand for digital services as well as to enhance in-building coverage.
The company also plans to provide seamless 4G services using FDD-LTE on 1800 MHz and TDD-LTE on 2300 MHz through an integrated ecosystem.
Ericsson has 50 percent share in global LTE market. This is Ericsson’s first major LTE win in India.
Telecom network vendors such as ZTE, Huawei and Nokia Networks have already bagged LTE contracts in India.
Baburajan K
editor@telecomlead.com
