- Nokia started its 5G journey with Vodafone in 2016
- The agreement is for a term of at least five years
- It will enable Vodafone to place orders with Nokia for site delivery
In accordance with India’s ambitious 5G mission, Vodafone has partnered with Nokia to commence the roll-out of its 5G network in the first half of 2020.
“This is an exciting milestone in Vodafone’s 5G network rollout,” said Inaki Berroeta, Vodafone’s Chief Executive Officer.
Berroeta added, “We have worked with Nokia for several years across different elements of our network. They presented a compelling roadmap that aligned with our 5G objectives and will help us to continue improving our 4G network for our customers.
From trials to reality
“We started our 5G journey with Vodafone in 2016 and are now moving from trials to reality. Nokia’s end-to-end portfolio has a key role to play here, with this deal including 5G radio access network (RAN), IP/Optical, Microwave, deployment, and managed services, as well as software,” said Federico Guillen, President, Customer Operations EMEA & APAC at Nokia.
The sites originally made up a test network that Nokia used to demonstrate its technology but are now set to become the first area of commercial coverage for Vodafone’s 5G network and will soon be available to Vodafone customers with a compatible 5G device, company’s official statement read.
The agreement is for a term of at least five years. It will enable Vodafone to place orders with Nokia for site delivery. The partnership will also help Vodafone to fast track its 5G delivery and to switch on its first group of 5G sites in and around Paramatta in the coming months.
