Prior to its plans to roll out 5G throughout India, Jio chooses Nokia as its equipment supplier.

As India’s top mobile carrier prepares to roll out next-generation wireless services throughout the nation, Jio, the country’s largest telecom operator, has selected Nokia as a significant supplier, the Finnish manufacturer of telecom equipment announced on Monday. In a multi-year agreement, Nokia will provide 5G radio access network (RAN) equipment to Reliance Jio, which has more than 420 million subscribers, the firm announced in a statement.

Nokia would provide base stations, high-capacity 5G Massive MIMO antennas, Remote Radio Heads to handle various frequency bands, and self-organizing network software, according to the statement.

The network is viewed as essential for upcoming technologies like self-driving cars and artificial intelligence, and 5G data speeds in India are anticipated to be roughly 10 times faster than those of 4G.

In an August $19 billion (about Rs. 1,56,500 crore) 5G spectrum auction, Reliance purchased airwaves valued at $11 billion (roughly Rs. 90,600 crore) and had already begun rolling out 5G services in a few places. Additionally, it is collaborating with Alphabet’s Google to release a low-cost 5G smartphone.

The government is pressuring prominent mobile phone producers like Apple, Samsung, and others to prioritise releasing software upgrades to support 5G amid worries that many of their models aren’t prepared for the high-speed service as India’s telecom service providers roll out 5G services.

Reliance Jio, meanwhile, intends to seek an extra $1.5 billion (approximately Rs. 12,400 crore) through external commercial borrowings to finance its 5G capital spending ambitions, cited by the Economic Times daily.