India's Reliance Jio selects Nokia as equipment provider in 5G push
The HinduIndian telecom service provider Reliance Jio has chosen Nokia as a major supplier, the Finnish telecom equipment maker said on Monday, as India's biggest mobile carrier gears up to expand next-generation wireless services across the country. Nokia will supply Reliance Jio, which has more than 420 million customers, with 5G radio access network equipment in a multi-year deal, the company said in a statement. "Nokia will supply equipment from its AirScale portfolio, including base stations, high-capacity 5G Massive MIMO antennas, and Remote Radio Heads to support different spectrum bands, and self-organizing network software," it said. Meanwhile, Reliance Jio is planning to raise an additional $1.5 billion via external commercial borrowings to fund its 5G capital expenditure plans, the Economic Times newspaper reported, citing sources.