11 July 2025
Ericsson has announced a new partnership with Indian telecommunications provider Bharti Airtel to support the rollout of 5G fixed wireless access (FWA) services through network enhancements.
Under the agreement, Ericsson will deploy its Local Packet Gateway (LPG) platform, which is designed to facilitate high-capacity FWA with a more compact footprint and improved total cost of ownership.
Andres Vicente, head of Market Area Southeast Asia, Oceania and India at Ericsson, highlighted that the LPG platform is engineered to deliver high performance efficiently and with scalability, making it well-suited to realise Airtel’s ambitious 5G FWA plans. This latest collaboration builds on a previous agreement signed in February 2025, whereby Ericsson was tasked with deploying 5G packet core network solutions to create a unified, future-proof infrastructure enabling Airtel’s transition to a 5G standalone (SA) network.
Airtel’s CTO, Randeep Sekhon, stated that this strategic implementation is tailored to meet the rapidly increasing data demands of customers, ensuring reliable performance and seamless connectivity even during peak usage periods. The FWA partnership is one of several recent deals Ericsson has secured with Airtel since the telecom giant committed to a multi-year, multi-billion-dollar supply agreement for 4G and 5G equipment late last year. Additional contracts this year have covered areas such as extended reality (XR) applications and managed services.
Airtel launched its 5G FWA services in August 2023, and earlier this year, the company awarded contracts to Nokia and Qualcomm to expand its network. These agreements include Nokia’s outdoor 5G receivers, designed for multi-dwelling units, and Wi-Fi 6 access points featuring Qualcomm Modem-RF and Wi-Fi 6 chipsets, aimed at enhancing in-home connectivity.
