Reliance Jio seems to be on a race of its own in the 5G arena. It has already built a lead for itself when it comes to speed on its emerging 5G network. Now, upping the ante, the country's top telecom player has worked out deals with telecom gear-makers Ericsson and Nokia for firming up its mega 5G network.
The announcements of the tie-ups were, however, did not spell out the deal sizes.
Reliance Jio plans to deploy a 5G standalone network which will interwork with its 4G infrastructure. The network will enable Reliance Jio to deliver advanced 5G services such as massive machine-to-machine communications, network slicing, and ultra-low-latency. Jio has also committed Rs 2 lakh crore towards launch of pan-India 5G in phases within just 18 months. Jio is currently testing its True 5G network in Delhi, Mumbai, Kolkata, and Varanasi.
What the deals entail
Jio has entered into a long-term strategic 5G contract with Swedish telecom gear-maker Ericsson to roll out 5G Standalone (SA) in India. Ericsson’s energy-efficient 5G Radio Access Network (RAN) products and solutions (from the Ericsson Radio System portfolio) and E-band microwave mobile transport solutions will be deployed in the 5G network for Jio.
Börje Ekholm, President and CEO, Ericsson, said: "India is building world-class digital infrastructure that will drive innovation, job creation and entrepreneurship across the country. We are happy to partner with Jio in those ambitions, through Ericsson 5G Standalone connectivity, which will be a major catalyst in meeting those digital transformation goals across society, enterprise and industry."
Finnish telecom network equipment company Nokia will supply 5G Radio Access Network (RAN) equipment from its AirScale portfolio, including base stations, high-capacity 5G Massive MIMO antennas, and Remote Radio Heads (RRH) to support different spectrum bands, and self-organizing network software.
Pekka Lundmark, President and CEO at Nokia said: "This ambitious project will introduce millions of people across India to premium 5G services, enabled by our industry-leading AirScale portfolio. We are proud that Reliance Jio has placed its trust in our technology and we look forward to a long and productive partnership with them.”
For the record, Jio's arch rival, Bharti Airtel, has also signed multi-year 5G equipment supply deals worth about $2.5 billion (more than Rs 19,750 crore) with Ericsson, Nokia and South Korea’s Samsung.
