Nokia says completed 5G gear deliveries to Vodafone Idea ahead of rollout in key cities

5G

Nokia has completed deliveries of all 5G equipment to Vodafone Idea (Vi) ahead of the operator’s planned 5G rollout in key cities, the Finnish telecom company said on March 5.

"As the demand for reliable and high-performing networks continues to grow, our collaboration with Vi will help address the emerging requirements of retail consumers and businesses. We achieved very fast delivery and deployment of 5G and 4G sites for Vi," Tarun Chhabra, senior vice president and country head at Nokia India, said in a statement.

The deployment of both 4G and 5G equipment is progressing rapidly. The Finnish telecom gear provider said it will deliver more than 60,000 technology sites, including thousands of new 4G sites, to Vodafone Idea by the end of this month.

Nokia is deploying ultra-lean sites to improve service quality in high-density urban areas as part of its support for Vodafone Idea's expansion.

“Nokia remains our valued long-term partner, consistently delivering exceptional support. The rapid 4G expansion will significantly enhance our coverage and capacity, enabling us to provide an exceptional customer experience as we move toward launching 5G services," Vodafone Idea chief technology officer CTO Jagbir Singh said.

The Finnish telecom gear maker said the latest 5G and 4G baseband and radio modules are being supplied, helping Vodafone Idea enhance its 4G network through new site rollouts, technology upgrades, and expanded spectrum bandwidth on existing sites.

Vodafone Idea said 2025 will be a milestone year, with Mumbai slated to be the first city to go live with 5G. The company has begun trial runs of its 5G network in the city, aiming for a full commercial launch around Holi on March 14. After Mumbai, the operator plans to roll out 5G in Delhi, Bengaluru, Chandigarh, and Patna by April.

To support Vodafone Idea’s 5G launch, Nokia is utilising its AirScale portfolio, which includes Multi Radio Access Technology (RAT) baseband units and radio modules, all powered by the energy-efficient ReefShark System-on-Chip technology. These innovations will deliver superior coverage and capacity, it said.

Nokia is upgrading the network management system with its MantaRay series of products and rolling out the next-generation AirScale Multi-RAT Outdoor compact baseband in phases.