Leading Indian operator Bharti Airtel has selected Juniper Networks, which specialises in secure, AI-driven networks, to deliver network upgrades for the expansion of Airtel’s nationwide broadband coverage across India.
The context of this is that Airtel has rapidly expanded its fibre-to-the-home (FTTH) broadband coverage to over 430 towns with plans of covering 30 million households in over 2,000 cities in the next three years.
In support of this increased nationwide penetration into many previously underserved cities and markets, the latest network upgrades will build on what is described as the strong long-term relationship between Airtel and Juniper Networks.
As part of the deal, Juniper Networks will supply, install and provide support for upgrades to the MX Series routers and line cards as part of its broadband network gateway (BNG) to manage subscribers and services, as well as carrier-grade NAT (CGNAT) solutions to guarantee secure encryption across the network.
Commenting on the partnership, Sajan Paul, Managing Director & Country Manager, India & SAARC, Juniper Networks, said, “We are privileged to have been Airtel’s partner for the last 15 years. As Airtel gears up their network for 5G, we are excited to continually contribute towards their network transformation, not just in support of their fibre-to-the-home broadband services expansion, but also for other use cases and applications across various business segments.”
