Bharti Airtel and Nokia Expand 5G Network Collaboration to Accelerate Service Delivery
Bharti Airtel has expanded its collaboration with Nokia to boost 5G capabilities in India. The partnership involves deploying Nokia's Packet Core and Fixed Wireless Access solutions, integrating 4G and 5G technologies, and implementing an automation framework. This multi-year deal aims to improve network quality, optimize costs, and accelerate 5G service delivery across most of Airtel's service regions in India. The collaboration prepares Airtel for 5G standalone capabilities and is expected to significantly enhance customer experience.

*this image is generated using AI for illustrative purposes only.
Bharti Airtel , one of India's leading telecommunications companies, has announced a significant expansion of its partnership with Nokia to enhance its 5G network capabilities and accelerate the rollout of advanced services to customers.
Expanded Collaboration for 5G Innovation
The collaboration between Bharti Airtel and Nokia focuses on deploying Nokia's cutting-edge Packet Core appliance-based and Fixed Wireless Access (FWA) solutions. This strategic move aims to provide a superior network experience for Airtel's growing 4G and 5G customer base across India.
Key Aspects of the Partnership
- Integration of 4G and 5G Technologies: The deployment will seamlessly integrate 5G and 4G technologies into a single set of servers, optimizing network performance and efficiency.
- Enhanced Fixed Wireless Access: Nokia's FWA solution will boost capacities for home broadband and enterprise-critical application services, expanding Airtel's service offerings.
- Automation Framework: Airtel will leverage Nokia's automation framework to achieve zero-touch service launch and efficient lifecycle management for core network functions.
- 5G Standalone Readiness: The use of Nokia's converged Packet Core solution prepares Airtel for 5G standalone (SA) capabilities, simplifying network architecture and reducing operational costs.
- Multi-Year Deal: The rollout covers network automation across the majority of Airtel's service regions in India.
Benefits for Airtel and Its Customers
Improved Network Quality
The deployment architecture enables critical changes to enhance network quality and reliability.
Cost Optimization
Airtel aims to reduce its cost per bit by utilizing appliance-based Packet Core gateways while maintaining cloud-native architecture for other network elements.
Faster Service Delivery
The collaboration is expected to speed up the delivery of new 5G services to customers.
Enhanced Customer Experience
The overall improvements are designed to significantly strengthen the Airtel customer experience.
Executive Insights
Randeep Sekhon, CTO of Airtel, commented on the collaboration: "Nokia's innovative Packet Core deployment architecture enables critical changes to our network quality and reliability for meeting the fast-rising growth in customer data requirements."
Raghav Sahgal, President of Cloud and Network Services at Nokia, added: "Nokia and Airtel have a long-standing partnership and we are pleased to bolster its 5G SA readiness. Airtel's use of Nokia's Packet Core to build greater network agility and reliability demonstrates how we are both helping customers solve problems and furthering Nokia's leadership position in the Core space in India and around the world."
Broader Implications
This expanded partnership between Bharti Airtel and Nokia signifies a major step forward in India's 5G journey. As one of the largest telecom operators in the country, Airtel's enhanced capabilities are likely to have a significant impact on the broader telecommunications landscape, potentially accelerating 5G adoption and improving digital connectivity across India.
The collaboration also highlights the increasing importance of network automation and AI-driven solutions in modern telecom infrastructure, as evidenced by the integration of GenAI for service orchestration and assurance.
As Bharti Airtel continues to evolve its network capabilities, customers can expect improved service quality, faster data speeds, and a wider range of innovative 5G-enabled services in the near future.
Historical Stock Returns for Bharti Airtel
1 Day | 5 Days | 1 Month | 6 Months | 1 Year | 5 Years |
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+3.65% | +7.54% | +15.25% | +11.05% | +49.25% | +283.04% |