Ericsson wins 4G, 5G deal from Bharti Airtel

Ericsson has won a multi-year, multi-billion extension deal from Bharti Airtel for 4G and 5G products and solutions. The companies did not disclose the exact deal value.

As per the new contract, Ericsson will deploy solutions for network transformation to help Airtel customers with wider coverage and enhanced capacity on the network. Ericsson will also undertake the software upgradation of its currently deployed 4G radios to enhance customer experience, Bharti Airtel says in a statement.

“This deployment will enable us to further improve the speed, reliability, and coverage of our network,” says Randeep Sekhon, CTO, Bharti Airtel.

Ericsson has been a connectivity partner for Airtel for over 25 years, supporting every generation of mobile communications. “This partnership extension reflects our shared vision to build a robust 4G and 5G infrastructure for Bharti Airtel to serve the connectivity needs of its customer base – including the new 5G use cases as they emerge. We will work closely with Bharti Airtel to deliver great user experiences for their customers,” says Andres Vicente, Head of Ericsson South-east Asia, Oceania and India.

This comes two weeks after Finnish telecom giant Nokia was awarded a multi-year, multi-billion extension deal by Bharti Airtel to deploy 4G and 5G equipment across key Indian cities and states. As per the contract, Nokia will deploy equipment from its 5G AirScale portfolio including base stations, baseband units and the latest generation of Massive MIMO radios, all powered by its ReefShark System-on-Chip technology, the statement said. These solutions will enhance Airtel’s network with 5G capacity and coverage and support its network evolution, it said. Furthermore, Nokia will modernise Airtel's existing 4G network with multiband radios and baseband equipment, which can also support 5G, the statement said. Nokia has collaborated with Airtel for over two decades, providing 2G, 3G, 4G, and 5G network equipment.

"This strategic partnership with Nokia will future proof our network infrastructure and provide customers with unparalleled user experience along with a network that will be eco-friendly to minimise environmental impact,” Gopal Vittal, vice chairman and MD, Bharti Airtel, said at the time.

Bharti Airtel reported nearly threefold year-on-year rise in Q2 FY25 net profit at ₹3,593 crore, up from ₹1,341 crore, driven by strong performance across its India and Africa operations. The company’s Q2 performance was supported by tariff hikes, enhanced ARPU, and ongoing customer shifts from 2G to 4G. The average revenue per user (ARPU) for the mobile segment climbed to ₹233, up from ₹203 last year, as data usage per customer surged 22.6% to 23.9 GB per month, with Airtel focusing on optimising its customer mix and transitioning 2G users to 4G.