NSN bags $700 million expansion contract from Bharti Airtel

Telecom equipment manufacturing company Nokia Siemens Networks (NSN) said on Thursday it had bagged a $700 million network contract from Bharti Airtel for expansion and upgradation of the top Indian telco's GSM network in eight of its regions.

NSN said in a statement that the contract included network planning, implementation and project management, handling of local logistics and materials as also system integration for the base station sites.

It said it would ensure that Bharti's core and transport network was 3G-ready to reduce time to market and enable fast rollout of 3G services at a later date.

Bharti's GSM network expansion would cover eight existing circles of Mumbai, Maharashtra and Goa, Gujarat, Madhya Pradesh and Chattisgarh, Bihar and Jharkhand, Orissa, Kolkata and West Bengal. Nokia Siemens Networks already provides equipment and managed services for Bharti Airtel in these circles.

According to Sanjay Kapoor, chief executive officer, Bharti Airtel, the expansion would not only expand Bharti's networks deeper into the rural hinterland, it would also allow delivery of a rich end-user experience, besides catering to the increasing demand for top-quality services.

Rajeev Suri, chief executive officer, NSN, said the unprecedented growth in the Indian telecommunications sector was demanding that telecom operators offer compelling solutions.

Among the solutions NSN plans to deploy are: Flexi multi-radio base stations, packet core platforms and microwave solutions for new and legacy networks.