The two companies have reportedly signed a five year deal, which will see NSN upgrade Vodafone India’s 2G and 3G networks.
NSN will cover 19 out of 22 telecoms circles where the operator has 2G networks, and six out of nine circles where it has 3G licences.
Sources confirmed that NSN will deploy its single radio access network (RAN) to advance and upgrade Vodafone’s existing infrastructure in India, and work is expected to start soon.
“The single RAN offers a base station box which can be used across multiple technologies, going from GSM (global system for mobile communications) to WCDMA (wideband code division multiple access) to LTE,” Sandeep Gitrotra, head of NSN India, told local reporters.
The deal marks further investment in the Indian telecoms market, and follows a successful 2G spectrum auction in the country in February this year.
“The market conditions in the Indian telecoms industry continue to be challenging, but with the recent spectrum auctions, there is uplift in sentiments among operators,” Gitrota said.
