Vodafone Idea Limited (VIL) just announced that Nokia will be its major partner in rolling out 4G and 5G in India. Nokia will see its market share expanding in the country, and it will replace the incumbent vendor in Chennai and Andhra Pradesh for Vi. Nokia will be the largest supplier of telecom equipment to Vi in circles from where the telco earns more than 50% of its revenues. In a release, VIL confirmed that the deployment from Nokia will begin immediately.

Under the deal, Nokia will deploy its 5G AirScale portfolio for Vodafone Idea. Nokia will deploy base stations, baseband units, and its latest generation of Habrok Massive MIMO radios for Vi. These equipment are designed to deliver premium 5G coverage to consumers. Along with the deployment of 5G, Nokia will also handle the upgrade of VIL's 4G network with multiband radios and baseband equipment. These can also support 5G.

All of this capex will be driven by the fundraising which Vi concluded recently. The telco raised Rs 18000 crore from an FPO (follow on public offer) and more from its promoters and vendors. Nokia is a long-term partner of VIL and has supported the telco with the deployment of its 2G, 3G, 4G, and now 5G networks.

"We are committed to providing a best-in-class 4G and 5G experience to our customers and this new deal with Nokia, who has been our partner since the beginning, will help us to deliver that. 5G will bring seamless high-speed connectivity and increased capacity supporting citizens and enterprises alike. This will also enable unprecedented levels of innovation and efficiency across various sectors, empowering organizations to thrive in today's fast-paced digital landscape," said Akshaya Moondra, CEO of Vodafone Idea Limited.

Tommi Uitto, President of Mobile Networks at Nokia said, "Nokia is proud to be Vodafone Idea’s partner in the next stage of its network evolution. This is a continuation of our long-term partnership that has lasted for over three decades and highlights their trust in our technology portfolio. They will benefit from the very latest products and innovations from our industry-leading, energy-efficient AirScale portfolio that will bring premium quality capacity and connectivity to their customers. We look forward to working with Vodafone Idea on this exciting deployment."