Tech Telecom

Nokia, the Finnish telecom gear maker, has claimed that it has bagged maximum 4G LTE network deals from Indian telecom operators, and is currently leads the market with maximum share, besides leading the VoLTE market with almost 100% market share.

In an interaction with the Economic Times, the company’s new India head, Sanjay Malik said “We are number one in LTE (4G) market on the basis of all deals that concluded before and after the spectrum auction. Most of it has been done. We are number one in terms of circles and number of base stations which are going to be rolled out.”

Currently, 4G LTE services are being offered by Bharti Airtel, Vodafone India, Idea Cellular, Telenor, Reliance Communications and Aircel in India. On the 4G front, Nokia works with top telcos Bharti Airtel, Vodafone India, Idea Cellular.

Reliance Jio, the new entrant, works with Korean major Samsung for 4G LTE networks. However, it was reported to have kicked off discussions with other vendors like Nokia, Ericsson and Huawei, for the installation for 40,000 new 4G LTE base stations in India.

The company claims to have bagged a total of 120 deals in this calendar year, which is almost double as compared to that last year. Malik said that Indian telecom operators are now looking to adopt technologies like Internet of Things (IoT), besides investing in 4G LTE networks.

“The spectrum scarcity problem has transformed into spectrum abundance. Now telcos know what is to be done for the next couple of years,” he said.

2G roll-out will continue to happen in India, as telcos are still seeing huge demand in the voice segment, especially in the rural markets, where growth is higher.