Reliance Jio Chooses Nokia’s Networking Equipment, Signs Multi-Year Deal

Nokia has announced that it has signed a multi-year agreement with Reliance Jio to provide 5G Radio Access Network (RAN) hardware across the entire country. Under the terms of the agreement, the Finnish company will provide base stations, high-capacity 5G Massive MIMO antennas, and Remote Radio Heads (RRH), as well as self-organizing network software from its AirScale portfolio.

This month, Reliance Jio began testing its standalone (SA) architecture-based 5G services in four cities: Mumbai, Delhi, Kolkata, and Varanasi. The current 4G network offered by Jio will be compatible with the 5G network. The operator’s enormous customer base—with over 420 million people—will be switched over to the 5G network in the coming months. With this news, Nokia has agreements in place to provide 5G equipment to Reliance Jio, Vodafone Idea, and Airtel, India’s three main operators.

Akash Ambani, Chairman, Reliance Jio, commented, “We are pleased to be working with Nokia for our 5G SA deployment in India. Jio is committed to continuously investing in the latest network technologies to enhance the experience of all of its customers. We are confident that our partnership with Nokia will deliver one of the most advanced 5G networks globally.”

Pekka Lundmark, President, and CEO at Nokia said, “This is a significant win for Nokia in an important market and a new customer with one of the largest RAN footprints in the world. This ambitious project will introduce millions of people across India to premium 5G services, enabled by our industry-leading AirScale portfolio. We are proud that Reliance Jio has placed its trust in our technology and we look forward to a long and productive partnership with them.”