Nokia Networks has won a contract worth $200 million from Bharti Airtel to build the country’s first 4G network in the 1800 MHz band in six telecom circles.
The deal will cover Mumbai, MP, West Bengal, Odisha, Punjab and Kerala circles.
Currently 4G provides the fastest wireless internet connectivity in the country, with download speeds of up to 40 Mbps and upload speeds of up to 20 Mbps. At present all 4G networks in the country run on the 2300 MHz band, which was auctioned by the government as broadband wireless spectrum (BWA) in the 2010 spectrum auctions, and use TDD-LTE technology.
Airtel's 4G network in the 1800 MHz band will use the FDD-LTE technology that is older and more widely accepted globally than TDD-LTE. It holds 20 MHz of 4G spectrum in the 2300 MHz band in each of the eight circles of Delhi, Mumbai, Haryana, Karnataka, Kerala, Punjab and Maharashtra. It won a total of 97 MHz of airwaves in the 1800 MHz band across 15 circles in the last spectrum auctions.
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