Reliance Jio to deploy 5G gear from Nokia & Ericsson

European telecom gear makers, Nokia and Ericsson have inked multi-year supply contracts with Reliance Jio for supplying 5G network equipment to the country’s largest carrier for deploying standalone or 5G SA. With the deals, both Nokia and Ericsson are supplying to India’s three largest mobile operators including Bharti Airtel and Vodafone Idea. While Vodafone Idea is yet to announce its 5G strategy, both Airtel and Jio have said that they will provide pan-India 5G coverage by 2024.

What are the future plans of Reliance Jio?

• Reliance Jio plans to deploy a 5G standalone network which will interwork with its 4G network. The network will enable Reliance Jio to deliver advanced 5G services such as massive machine-to-machine communications, network slicing, and ultra-low latency.
• Swedish supplier Ericsson said that its long-term strategic 5G contract with Jio will include the deployment of its energy-efficient 5G Radio Access Network (RAN) products and solutions from the company’s portfolio and E-band microwave mobile transport solutions will be deployed in the 5G network for Jio.
• Finnish supplier Nokia said it will provide 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.