Reliance Jio going with Nokia, Ericsson to roll out 5G network in October

TIL Desk/Business/Mumbai/ Reliance Jio is close to finalising its contract with telecom gear maker Ericsson to roll out its 5G network in Mumbai and Maharashtra and Kolkata and West Bengal in the first phase of its launch in October. And it is going with Nokia for the lucrative Delhi circle, and Chennai, which includes Tamil Nadu, say sources aware of the development.

This is the first time that Jio is opting for multiple vendors. During its 4G rollout, it had signed up with South Korean giant Samsung for the entire network, despite tough competition from European and Chinese vendors.

It is learnt that Jio is also in the final stages of talks with Samsung for part of its 5G network rollout, but the locations are not known as yet. A Reliance Jio spokesperson did not respond to a query and Ericsson and Nokia both declined to comment on the issue.

At its annual general meeting, Reliance Jio had announced that it will launch its standalone 5G network in October, initially in four cities — Delhi, Mumbai, Kolkata and Chennai.