Nokia in talks with telcos for rural 4G expansion

NEW DELHI: Finnish telecom gear maker Nokia is in talks with Indian telecom operators for supply deals related to their 4G network expansion in rural areas and has secured 13% more contracts in the first half of 2019 than a year ago, said a top executive. "Our discussions are happening with telcos for rural expansion, which is in line with DoT's (Department of Telecommunications) plan to connect over 40,000 villages by 2022," Sanjay Malik, head of Nokia India, told ET.

"All telcos are looking to expand revenue and user bases, hence eyes on rural expansion this will happen before commercial 5G rollout." Malik said despite financial stress in the industry, Nokia managed to secure 61 new contracts.