Nokia bags 4G rollout contract from Idea Cellular for 3 key circles

Finnish telecom gear maker Nokia today said it has bagged a contract from Idea Cellular to roll out 4G in three circles and also to expand the infrastructure for 3G and 2G networks. The company did not share the financial details of the deal.

According to a statement from Nokia, it will rollout LTE or 4G network of the country’s third-largest mobile operator in Kerala, Andhra Pradesh and Haryana.

As a part of the deal, Idea will deploy Nokia’s unique single RAN technology, which enables simultaneous 2G/3G/4G operation on one platform.

Nokia will also support the modernisation and expansion of Idea Cellular’s core network and operational support systems to support the 4G LTE rollout, along with professional services for network deployment, network planning and optimisation, system integration and supervisory managed services support.

Further, Nokia will also modernise and expand Idea’s 2G and 3G radio access networks and core network infrastructure, spread across six 2G circles and four 3G circles where Nokia equipment has been deployed.

“As Idea Cellular’s preferred technology partner in 2G, 3G, and now in 4G, we will continue to support them by providing new technologies and capabilities for superior network quality,” Nokia India head Sandeep Girotra said.

Nokia said lean and flexible single RAN site solution, will help Idea to optimise investments and deliver a superior mobile broadband experience.

“We were looking for a solution which can support multiple radio technologies simultaneously on a single platform. We found it in Nokia’s single RAN solution, complimented by its energy-efficient and flexible site solutions,” Idea Cellular Managing Director Himanshu Kapania said.