·Made in India
5G-ready Ericsson Radio System products will enhance the network experience of
Airtel customers
Bharti Airtel (“Airtel”), India’s largest integrated communications
service provider, and Ericsson (NASDAQ: ERIC) have strengthened their
long-standing partnership with a renewed multi-year contract to supply and
deploy 5G-ready radio and transport solutions from Ericsson.
The continued deployment of Ericsson Radio System products
and solutions will enhance Airtel’s network capacity and deliver a superior
experience to its customers. By using MINI-LINK
6000 products, Airtel will also increase the network’s backhaul
capacities.
The extended agreement is another milestone in the companies’ 25-year partnership
and follows the announcement of a renewed Pan-India managed services contract in July of this year.
Randeep Sekhon, CTO, Bharti Airtel says: "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. We are delighted to deepen our partnership with Ericsson
as part of our endeavor to build a network ready for 5G and beyond.”
Nunzio Mirtillo, Head of Ericsson South East Asia, Oceania and India, says:
“We appreciate the trust Airtel has shown in us by making their network
5G-ready and expanding our footprint in their network. 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 was the first telecom
equipment provider to start manufacturing in India in 1994 and today the company
manufactures 4G and 5G radios as well as microwave products at its Pune
production facility. This facility is part of Ericsson’s global production
footprint with presence in six continents, allowing Ericsson to secure fast and
agile deliveries to meet customer requirements.
As per the June 2020 edition of Ericsson Mobility Report, India remains the region with the
highest usage per smartphone per month. Total traffic is projected
to triple, reaching 21EB per month in 2025. In the India region, the average monthly
mobile data usage per smartphone continues to show robust growth, boosted by
the rapid adoption of 4G. LTE remains the dominant technology, accounting for
49 percent of mobile subscriptions in 2019. LTE will continue to be dominant,
representing 64 percent of mobile subscriptions in 2025. LTE subscriptions in
the India
region are forecast to increase from 550 million in 2019 to 820 million in
2025, increasing at a compound annual growth rate (CAGR) of 7 percent.