Indian communications service provider Vodafone Idea (Vi) has strengthened its longstanding network partnership with Ericsson through the award of major 4G and 5G contracts which, Ericsson says, will see the tech giant extend its network share.
Ericsson says it will upgrade 4G and deploy 5G across the Indian telecom circles (licensed service areas) it already powers for Vi. In addition, Ericsson will provide 4G and 5G services in the telecom circles of Delhi Kerala, Chhattisgarh and Rajasthan, thereby increasing its footprint and market share with Vi substantially.
As part of this contract, Ericsson will deploy energy-efficient and lightweight Ericsson Radio System products such as mid-band massive MIMO antenna-integrated radios.
This is a strategy involving both network enhancement and network rollout. As Akshaya Moondra, CEO, Vi, explains: “Collaborating with Ericsson will enable Vi to modernise its 4G network and rapidly deploy a world-class 5G network. 5G deployment will enable us to seamlessly manage the growing data traffic on the Vi network [and] provide secure and reliable connectivity, while enhancing the customer experience from the network.”
Network rollout and upgrade activity does seem to be ramping up for Vi lately. As well as this Ericsson deal, recent news reported here includes a billion-dollar network contract win for Nokia, again involving both 4G and 5G, a network security deal, also with Nokia, and vRAN trials with Samsung in Chennai.
