India’s Bharti Airtel signed deals with Ericsson, Nokia, and Samsung to provide network equipment for the carrier’s initial 5G launch. The move was the first by an Indian operator following the recent conclusion of a nationwide 5G spectrum auction.

Nokia is providing radio access network (RAN) equipment from its AirScale product line, including baseband and 5G massive multiple-input, multiple-output (MIMO) radios. Ericsson is providing its 5G RAN and microwave mobile transport products.

For Nokia and Ericsson, the deals are extension of their previous work with Bharti Airtel.

Samsung, which explained the deal was its first in India, said it will provide its 5G radio units, including massive MIMO radios, deployment, optimization, and maintenance services.

Bharti Airtel has partnered with other vendors on 5G trials, including work with Cisco using the vendor’s IP routing portfolio and an automated Ethernet over fiber network. However, no other commercial deals have been announced.

Notably absent from the deals were Chinese vendors Huawei and ZTE. The Indian government has placed severe restrictions on the use of 5G equipment from those vendors, which aligns with similar constraints placed by governments in Europe, parts of Asia, and North America. However, Huawei earlier this year did sign a deal to expand Bharti Airtel’s telecom infrastructure.

“The reality is that the Indian market, where there used to be Chinese vendors, they will be out of business, so that's the reason why you see Nokia doing quite well with the first deal and Ericsson doing quite well with the deal,” John Strand, CEO at Strand Consult, explained in an interview with SDxCentral. “They used to use Huawei but they are basically out of it. It looks like the Western vendors have gained market share at Bharti Airtel.”

Strand added that operators could also tap into India’s “Make in India” program that is targeted at increasing in-country manufacturing.

The 5G deals come on the heel of Bharti Airtel securing new spectrum assets from the Indian government’s recently concluded 5G spectrum auction. The carrier picked up nationwide license in the 3.5 GHz and 26 GHz bands, and a smattering of licenses across the country in 900 MHz, 1.8 GHz, and 2.1 GHz bands.

Bharti Airtel rival Jio also picked up spectrum in the auction, including nationwide coverage in the 700 MHz, 3.5 GHz, and 26 GHz bands, and other licenses in the 800 MHz and 1.8 GHz bands. Jio has not yet announced any 5G network contracts, but last year it picked up financial investments from the likes of Google, Qualcomm, Facebook, and Intel. Various reports indicate that Jio could launch 5G services this month.

These networks will run alongside dominate 2G and 3G networks that serve the country's more than 1 billion wireless customers.

“From a vendor’s perspective, this is probably the most important contract in India because it’s the biggest contracts with the biggest operator,” Strand said of the Bharti Airtel deal. “We are still waiting for the other operators, for what they will do.”