Bharti Airtel extended a 4G and 5G network equipment contract with Ericsson, covering centralised RAN and open RAN-compatible products, in what the vendor stated is a multi-year, multi-billion-dollar deal.

The extended agreement involves Ericsson expanding network coverage and capacity, along with upgrading the software of existing 4G radios.

Airtel CTO Randeep Sekhon said the deployment would enable it to “further improve the speed, reliability and coverage” of its network, in turn providing an “exceptional” customer experience.

Ericsson explained the relationship with Airtel spans more than 25-years and covered every generation of mobile communications. The extended deal underscores the pair’s “commitment to building an advanced digital ecosystem in India”, it stated.

Last month, Airtel also struck an extension deal with Nokia covering key Indian cities and states.

Airtel is the second-largest mobile player in India by subscribers, with 352 million. Reliance Jio tops the tables with 479 million.