Operator to launch TD-LTE services this year in India’s fastest growing telecom circle

Bharti Airtel, a leading operator in India, has selected Nokia Siemens Networks to build and operate its TD-LTE (time division duplex long term evolution) network in Maharashtra, one of the country’s largest telecom circles. TD-LTE is a 4G mobile broadband technology that delivers instant internet access and can support video streaming and high-definition video conferencing. The launch of commercial TD-LTE services later this year will offer Bharti Airtel subscribers in Maharashtra a much improved experience when using bandwidth-intensive applications, with more consistent network coverage and faster response times (low latency).

Bharti Airtel will deploy its TD-LTE network in the 2.3 GHz frequency band allocated by the Indian government for broadband wireless access (BWA) technologies.

Sanjay Kapoor, CEO Bharti Airtel (India & South Asia) said, "In the next five years, data will be the main thrust in India, riding on the waves of 3G or 4G technologies. As per industry estimates, mobile data traffic in the country will increase nearly 100-fold by 2015 and consumers will stream nearly 600 hours of video content - every second, thus paving way for the ensuing data revolution! LTE provides ultra high speed data access, in conjunction with 3G, this will lead the data revolution and drive fundamental changes in individual lifestyles, businesses and the society at large. We look forward to the advent of 4G technology which will be launched in India at the same time, as the rest of the world.

Being part of India’s large-scale 4G commercial rollout, Nokia Siemens Networks will deliver the TD-LTE network and end-user data devices that can provide data speeds of upto 100 megabits per second (Mbps) as specified by 3GPP. The company will use its newly introduced and industry’s first TD-LTE 6 pipes radio*. This integrated solution considerably reduces site space and the operator’s total cost of ownership per site compared to the traditional approach of using one remote radio head per sector. Nokia Siemens Networks is widely deploying this TD-LTE solution to commercial customers in Russia, Brazil and Saudi Arabia.

Nokia Siemens Networks’ NetAct operations support system will enable effective and consolidated monitoring, management and optimization of Bharti Airtel’s GSM and TD-LTE networks. Nokia Siemens Networks will provide network design, integration, commissioning and optimization services to the operator for rapid roll-out of the network and full set of care services including hardware, software and competence development services. It will use its Global Network Solutions Center at Noida, India that is already supporting TD-LTE networks globally, to remotely deliver services for improved efficiency and network performance.

"From networks to devices, Nokia Siemens Networks offers a full range of LTE solutions," said Ashish Chowdhary, head of Customer Operations Asia and Middle East at Nokia Siemens Networks. "As Bharti Airtel’s long-standing partner, we are glad to be chosen for the launch of 4G services. With our expertise and focus on mobile broadband, we hope to assist the operator in taking mobile broadband experience to a completely new level for its customers."

Nokia Siemens Networks was one of the first companies to successfully demonstrate TD-LTE on 2.3 GHz BWA spectrum in India using commercial hardware at its Bengaluru R&D facility in October 2010. The rapid strides in TD-LTE by India and China are helping drive its momentum, making it attractive for operators in other markets too. In India, where fixed broadband penetration is below 1%, operators are aiming to complement 3G with TD-LTE.

Source: NSN