Nokia expands Airtel 5G SA partnership

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Nokia deploys Packet Core and FWA solutions to streamline Airtel’s 4G/5G integration. Multi-year deal focuses on AI-driven automation to reduce operational costs. What happened: Nokia accelerates Airtel’s 5G standalone ambitions Nokia has announced an expanded partnership with Indian telecom giant Bharti Airtel to deploy its Packet Core appliance-based solutions and fixed wireless access (FWA) technologies, aiming to bolster Airtel’s transition to 5G standalone (SA) networks. This collaboration follows Nokia’s recent agreement with Vodafone Idea, reinforcing its strategic foothold in India’s rapidly evolving telecom sector.

The deployment integrates Airtel’s 4G and 5G infrastructure into a unified cloud-native architecture, reducing hardware complexity and operational expenses. Nokia’s converged Packet Core solution will enable Airtel to optimise its hardware footprint, lower cost-per-bit, and scale network capacity for surging data demands. Meanwhile, the FWA rollout aims to enhance home broadband and enterprise services by delivering extreme bandwidth, critical for India’s growing remote work and digital entertainment markets.

Airtel will leverage Nokia’s automation framework for zero-touch service deployment and lifecycle management, supported by generative AI for network orchestration and assurance. This multi-year agreement spans most of Airtel’s service regions, promising improved customer experiences and new revenue streams through targeted enterprise solutions. Nokia already supplies Airtel with core technologies like VoLTE, HSS, and VoNR, making this expansion a logical step in their long-term alliance. The partnership underscores Nokia’s focus on appliance-based, modular solutions to support diverse deployment models in emerging markets.

Also read: India’s 5G users reach 250 million Also read: Nokia unveils new 5G FWA gateway with Wi-Fi 7 Why it’s important The transition to 5G standalone networks is pivotal for India’s digital economy, which relies on high-speed connectivity for sectors like e-commerce, education, and healthcare. Airtel, serving over 375 million subscribers, requires scalable infrastructure to manage exponential data growth while maintaining cost efficiency. Nokia’s appliance-based Packet Core reduces reliance on proprietary hardware, enabling Airtel to adopt flexible, cloud-native architectures critical for future upgrades.

The integration of 4G/5G technologies into a single server set simplifies network management, a key factor for operators juggling legacy systems and next-gen demands. Nokia’s FWA solution addresses India’s limited fibre penetration by providing high-capacity wireless broadband, bridging connectivity gaps in semi-urban and rural areas. Automation via generative AI could revolutionise network operations in India, where manual interventions often delay service launches. Zero-touch automation minimises human error and accelerates time-to-market for new offerings, vital in a hyper-competitive market.

With India targeting 80% 5G population coverage by late 2024, partnerships like Nokia-Airtel set benchmarks for scalable, cost-effective deployments. The collaboration also highlights the strategic role of global vendors in localising solutions for price-sensitive markets while meeting enterprise demands for low-latency applications.