Nokia Siemens to make Airtel 3G ready n/w

Telecom gear firm Nokia Siemens Networks said on Thursday it had won a $700 million network contract from Bharti Airtel to expand and
upgrade India's top operator's GSM network in eight of its regions.

The contract includes network planning, implementation and project management, handling of local logistics and materials, as well as system integration for the base station sites, Nokia Siemens said in a statement.

Nokia Siemens said it will also ensure that Bharti Airtel's core and transport network is 3G-ready in order to reduce time to market and enable the fast rollout of 3G services at a later date.