Nokia pips Ericsson for Vodafone 4G deal in 3 circles

NEW DELHI: Finnish telecom gear maker Nokia has pipped arch rival Ericsson to secure a three-year 4G network deployment contract from India’s second largest telecom operator Vodafone for three of its most lucrative circles, a person familiar with the matter told ET. He, however, did not share the value of the contract for the three circles-—Mumbai, Kolkata and Punjab.

“These three circles are new wins for Nokia, where Ericsson deployed older technology network for Vodafone India. Nokia will initially deploy limited 4G sites in these circles,” the person said, requesting anonymity. Mumbai and Kolkata circles are part of Vodafone’s first phase 4G launch while the Punjab circle will see future deployment by Nokia that will support 2G to 4G technologies, as per Vodafone’s strategy.

Vodafone had acquired liberalized spectrum in the 1800 MHz band in Punjab in the February 2014 auctions. It offers only 2G services in the Punjab circle, while 3G services are being offered in an agreement with Idea Cellular. Both Nokia and Vodafone India declined comment.

Nokia manages a majority of telecom circles of Vodafone India in the country and also possesses the largest share of their 3G networks in the country, the person said. Vodafone, which has already launched services in select towns of Kerala and Karnataka, will increase the intensity of its 4G rollout covering important metros—Mumbai, Delhi, Bengaluru and Kolkata—before March under the first phase of the 4G launch in India.