NEW DELHI: Bharti Airtel’s Africa unit said on Monday that it has signed a three-year deal with telecom equipment maker Nokia for the modernisation of the former’s telecom network in Nairobi, Kenya, with high-speed 4G gear, and for the deployment of 5G-ready equipment. According to Airtel, the deployment of 5G-ready networks started in June and will cover hundreds of sites across the African nation.
This will include upgrading existing 2G, 3G, and 4G radio access networks (RAN) in urban and semi-urban areas, highways, tourist spots, and central business districts. Nokia’s network infrastructure will also offer Airtel Kenya the option to smoothly transition to 5G when necessary. Under the contract, Nokia will supply Airtel Kenya with telecom gear for both indoor and outdoor coverage, including base stations and radio access products. The improved network will provide higher data speeds using additional 4G spectrum bands.
“We are in the midst of rolling out our network to enhance coverage,” said Airtel Kenya CEO P D Sarma, while Nokia’s regional head Rajiv Aggarwal said that this was “an exciting deal in an exciting market”.