Bharti Airtel extends agreement with Nokia Siemens Networks

Bharti Airtel recently inked a deal that extended its contract with the Nokia Siemens Network for an additional period of five years. Nokia Siemens Network maintains and manages Airtel’s networks. They are responsible for Airtel’s networks in eight circles in India, according to reports by The Economic Times. Reportedly, Nokia Siemens will be managing the 2G and 3G networks in regions like Bihar and Jharkhand, Gujarat, Maharashtra and Goa, Kolkata, MP and Chhattisgarh, Mumbai, Orissa and West Bengal.

Airtel extends agreement with Nokia Siemens Networks

After Ericsson split from Sony, the former had signed a deal with Bharti Airtel, late last year for five years, which would entitle it to manage mobile networks in fifteen circles. Ericsson would be handling almost seventy percent of Bharti Networks and now reportedly Nokia Siemens would handle the rest. Airtel is said to be looking at upgrading the infrastructure for multi-fold growth.

Nokia Siemens Networks is all set to provide network optimization along with operations and maintenance services from its Global Network Solution Center in Noida. This deal is said to be sixth outsourcing deal between Bharti and Nokia Siemens Networks in the last decade. It is also an extension of a hefty deal that both signed some years ago. Bharti Airtel had started outsourcing to lower costs and ensure high volumes.
 
"The data story in the country has just begun and we will witness increasing complexity due to multiplicity of network layers specifically when serving data. It is imperative for any service provider to have a complete end-to-end view to manage voice and data services. This initiative is in line with our strategy to create ubiquitous networks for offering enriched customer experience," Bharti Airtel CEO For India and South Asia, Sanjay Kapoor said.

"The deal will help Bharti Airtel to simplify its process and also add improvements to its end to end networks and also enhance its service performance", says Ashish Chowdhary, Head of Customer Operations Asia and Middle East at Nokia Siemens Networks.