Bagged 75 Contracts In India Last Year, Most Non-Telecom: Nokia

Nokia said it won 75 contracts last year in India, most of them coming from beyond mobility or the non-telco space. Carriers are getting ready for 5G by end-to-end modernization of networks, offering bigger growth opportunities.

The company won 15 new deals in the cable operator and internet service provider (ISP) segment last year, Nokia’s India market head Sanjay Malik told, taking the total count to 25. “We have achieved growth in nine quarters (year-on-year) straight in India. We have seen growth in both mobility and beyond telco spac,” Malik said.

He said in the wireless space, 4G expansion by Indian operators will continue to drive growth for the company as mobile phone operators look for capacity and upgrade systems. “They are getting their network ready for 5G with their deployment of massive MIMOs and small cells on TD-LTE technology,” Malik said. In addition, phone companies to modernize backhaul or data transfer will also open up new revenue opportunities for the company this year.

Nokia and Chinese gear companies Huawei and ZTE are bidding for wireline contracts of Vodafone Idea, which is expected to award new contracts soon, its chief technology officer Vishant Vora told ET recently.

Nokia is aggressively targeting deals from enterprises outside the traditional telecom service provider segment in search of new revenue opportunities. It is currently in talks with webscale companies for data center connectivity.

“Global players are coming to India and are looking to set up data centers. India players are looking to do the same. We are expecting good growth this year in this space,” Malik said, adding that Nokia sees opportunities in the enterprise segment. The company is especially targeting sectors such as banking and finance, transportation and railways.―Newsfeed