Reliance Jio Partners With Nokia, Ericsson To Build Its 5G RAN Network

Reliance Jio has partnered with smartphone manufacturer Nokia and telecom equipment and service provider Ericsson to build its 5G radio access network (RAN). 

Following the partnership, Nokia will supply equipment to Reliance Jio that will include high-capacity 5G massive MIMO antennas, and remote radio heads (RRH), among others to support the latter’s different spectrum bands and network software. 

Besides, Ericsson will supply its 5G RAN products and solutions, and e-band microwave mobile transport solutions to Reliance Jio.

As per the company, Reliance Jio looks to use a 5G standalone network that will work along with its 4G network. This will enable the telecom operator to offer advanced 5G services including machine-to-machine communications, network slicing, and ultra-low-latency, among others to Indian consumers.

Founded in 1865 by Fredrik Idestam, Eduard Polón and Leo Mechelin, Nokia sells consumer electronic products globally. Around two decades ago, the company was a dominant name in the mobile phone segment in India. According to an IDC report, Nokia owned about 60% share in the Indian mobile phone market in 2005.

However, Nokia lost its position to several Android smartphone makers including Samsung, BlackBerry and Micromax. It originally did not pay heed to the changing consumer brand and thus, lagged behind in the race. 

Hence, the partnership with Reliance Jio could be a game changer strategy for Nokia.

“This is a significant win for Nokia in an important market and a new customer with one of the largest RAN footprints in the world. This ambitious project will introduce millions of people across India to premium 5G services,” said Pekka Lundmark, president and CEO at Nokia.

Meanwhile, the Swedish company Ericsson was founded by Lars Magnus Ericsson in 1876. Its offerings include telecom BSS, wireless WAN, 5G RAN and 5G transport, among others. 

Ericsson claims to invest about 18% of its global revenue in research and development. It further claims to hold over 60,000 granted patents including 5G across the globe.

“We are delighted to partner with Ericsson for Jio’s 5G SA rollout. Jio transformed the digital landscape in India with the launch of LTE services in 2016. We are confident that Jio’s 5G network will accelerate India’s digitalization and will serve as the foundation for achieving our nation’s ‘Digital India’ vision,” said Akash Ambani, chairman of Reliance Jio. 

The development has come a few weeks after Reliance Jio rolled out the beta launch of its 5G services in four Indian cities including Mumbai, Delhi, Kolkata, and Varanasi. In September, its competitor Bharti Airtel also rolled out 5G services in 8 Indian cities.

Besides, Bharti Airtel’s MD and CEO Gopal Vittal had said that the telecom operator would cover every town and rural areas of the country by March 2024.

Most recently, Reliance Jio Infocomm is reported to be raising $1.5 Bn via external commercial borrowings. It is said to be planning to infuse money in its 5G capex and follow the ECB route after the central bank RBI increased the automatic route limit to $1.5 Bn.

In August, 5G spectrum auction worth INR 1.50 Lakh Cr was concluded where Reliance Jio made the highest bidding with INR 88,078 Cr, followed by Bharti Airtel spending INR 43,084 Cr and Vodafone Idea spending INR 18,799 Cr.