Nokia, Qualcomm bag 5G Fixed Wireless Access devices deal from Airtel

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Bharti Airtel has awarded a deal to Nokia and Qualcomm to expand its 5G fixed wireless access (FWA) service in the country as the telco looks to aquire more customers.

The latest annoucment follows a recent "multi-year, multi-billion extension deal" between Airtel and Nokia to deploy 4G and 5G equipment across key Indian cities and states. Nokia's European rival Ericsson also won a similar deal from Airtel late last year.

As part of the new arrangement, Nokia will supply Airtel with its 5G Fixed Wireless Access (FWA) outdoor gateway receiver and Wi-Fi 6 Access Point, utilizing Qualcomm Modem-RF and Wi-Fi 6 chipsets. This deal will enable Airtel to provide superior broadband services in areas where
fiber connectivity is either scarce or challenging to implement.

“This collaboration with Nokia and Qualcomm underscores our dedication to delivering an exceptional network experience for our customers. We are confident that Nokia's 5G Fixed Wireless Access and Wi-Fi 6 Access Point solutions will help provide high-speed internet to underserved areas and fulfil the need of a superior and uninterrupted broadband experience,” said Randeep Sekhon, Chief Technology Officer (CTO) of Bharti Airtel.

The deployment of fixed wireless broadband access via 5G networks stands out as a significant application of 5G technology, especially in India, which faces low fiber penetration and a high demand for digital services.

Airtel will implement Nokia's Wi-Fi 6 access point within residences to enhance the in-home experience.

Airtel said Nokia's 5G Fixed Wireless Access (FWA) and Wi-Fi 6 access point devices will be produced in India.

Airtel has expanded its 5G FWA service, Xstream AirFiber, to over 2,000 cities which is helping the Sunil Mittal-led telco to increase its total addressable market for fixed broadband (FBB) services. This is since 5G-driven FWA helps cover fiber-dark locations.

Bharti Airtel is looking to leverage the sharp expected growth in India’s home broadband market and boost revenues amid rising consumer appetite for its 5G-based fixed wireless access (FWA) services, the telco’s top leadership told analysts in the recent third-quarter earnings call.

They added that Airtel is attempting to catch up with the competition (read: Reliance Jio) by improving its FWA footprint, and sweetening its content (OTT) offerings while expanding the sales channels beyond digital and direct-to-consumer (D2C) by tapping into the retail channel.

The Sunil Mittal-led telco is rolling out nearly 1.9 million home passes per quarter, and has estimated the industry-wide FBB subscribers to potentially double to 80-90 million from 45 million presently.

“With our 5G FWA and Wi-Fi 6 solutions built in collaboration with Qualcomm Technologies, Bharti Airtel will be able to provide customers with fiber-like speeds which are becoming essential in today’s digital economy,” said Sandy Motley, President of Fixed Networks, Nokia.