NEW DELHI: State-run telecom operator BSNL on Monday signed a pact with telecom gear make Nokia to roll out 4G services in 10 telecom circles covering western and southern regions of the country.
Under the agreement, Nokia will deploy the technology in Maharashtra, Gujarat, Madhya Pradesh, Chhattisgarh, Goa, Tamil Nadu, Andhra Pradesh, Karnataka, Kerala and Telangana circles, serving large cities, businesses, technology and tourist hubs besides nearly 38 million BSNL subscribers.
An official statement said the deployment of the Nokia single radio access network (RAN) software would simplify network installation, allowing BSNL to save operational costs while supporting 2G, 3G and 4G subscribers in a single radio unit. Earlier this month, BSNL had formally launched its 4G services in the country.
“We are really proud to have a technology partner like Nokia with whom we are working in the south and west zones, rolling out the latest single RAN technology, and further moving towards 5G...,” BSNL CMD Anupam Shrivastava said. In 2017, Nokia and BSNL signed MoUs to develop the applications of 5G for the India market.