Indian telecom giant Bharti Airtel is teaming up with Nokia and Qualcomm to expand 5G Fixed Wireless Access (FWA) and Wi-Fi solutions throughout India. This collaboration aims to address the growing demand for digital services and overcome low fiber penetration across the country.
Under this new agreement, Airtel will use Nokia’s 5G FWA outdoor gateway receivers and Wi-Fi 6 Access Points. These devices incorporate Qualcomm’s Modem-RF and Wi-Fi 6 technologies. The focus on fixed wireless broadband through 5G networks looks promising, especially in regions lacking fiber infrastructure.
5G FWA offers several benefits. Airtel plans to deploy Nokia’s FastMile 5G outdoor receivers, which can support multiple households at once, reducing costs. These devices include high-gain antennas for extended coverage and Power-over-Ethernet (PoE) technology for flexible installation. Additionally, Nokia’s Wi-Fi 6 access points provide intelligent mesh networking with self-optimizing capabilities, crucial for seamless connectivity.
A key aspect of this initiative is local production. Nokia’s 5G FWA and Wi-Fi 6 devices will be manufactured in India. This move aligns well with the Indian government’s push for local manufacturing and could be a step toward self-reliance in technology hardware.
Sandy Motley, President of Fixed Networks at Nokia, highlighted India’s unique challenges with broadband connectivity: “India’s vast size and population density presents unique challenges for broadband connectivity. In those communities where fiber is difficult to deploy, FWA can be used to provide reliable wireless broadband connectivity. With our 5G FWA and Wi-Fi 6 solutions built in collaboration with Qualcomm Technologies, Bharti Airtel will be able to provide customers with fiber-like speeds which are becoming essential in today’s digital economy.”
