Finnish telecom gear maker Nokia expects Indian telecom operators to focus on fibre-to-the-home (FTTH) service and build backhaul, along with the government’s BharatNet and Smart City projects, to drive growth for the company’s fixed network business.
“India for fixed (networks) is the smallest in size for us among seven regions currently. It is, however, growing the fastest… and it is going to grow further. In India, we see a lot of potential because of the dynamics with telcos investing in fixed networks,” Federico Guillen, president, Fixed Networks, Nokia, told ET in a recent interaction.
The development of the fixed networks will not just help telcos offer FTTH service, but will also help them in offloading data from wireless networks, which are already seeing congestion in urban areas. Guillen said Nokia is currently deploying fixed networks solution for one of the largest telecom operators in India. “The telco is only sourcing from us for only sourcing from us for their fixed network. Their GPON deployment is totally from us.”
In addition, a good fixed network will help telcos prepare for 4G small cells and 5G technologies. “No matter how good a 5G network is, without a good backhaul, you can’t deliver,” Guillen said. “India is late but it can leverage newest technologies. Fibre is a future-proof investment as it helps in preparing for the backhaul of the future 5G network,” he said.
Courtesy – Economic Times
