Swedish company Ericsson has started deploying its 5G ready equipment for the Vodafone-Idea limited network. The Swedish company is supplying radio access and transport equipment from its 5G-ready Ericsson Radio System portfolio. Currently this deployment is only carried out in 8 network circles, out of the 22 network circles which the network owns.
The newly deployed equipment once installed completely, can be used for next generation 5G services but currently will be used only for 4G services.
“we have been strategic partners to both Vodafone and Idea Cellular and now we enter a new phase of partnership with this deal with VIL. The 5G-ready solutions in the Ericsson Radio System portfolio will help boost the capacity of VIL’s 4G LTE network and broaden the availability of high quality mobile broadband services for its customers,” Nitin Bansal, Managing Director, Ericsson India, said.
The newly merged entity has been planning to expand its network base and also focusing more on the 4G network services. Now this will improve the Vodafone Idea’s spectral and energy efficiency while giving boost to its overall network capacity, enabling users to download and upload at a higher speed.
Vodafone-Idea Ltd is expecting a capital influx of around ₹20,000 Crore till the end of the last quarter of current fiscal and is also planning to initiate selling of its stake in the telecom entity formed by the merger of Indus Towers and Bharti Infratel so that the capital gained can be used for 4G network services. Vodafone Idea will be investing ₹20,000 crore in few years.
The merger which is lagging behind their rival Reliance Jio and Bharti Airtel, last year in October became a single entity to survive the ongoing tariff war in the Indian Telecom sector. The company is planning to invest for the expansion of its 4G network and this deployment of new 5G equipment is part of the future plans to take on the rivals.