Nokia Eyeing Expansion in India

Nokia, the largest handset seller in India, is growing by over 30% on an annual basis in India, is eyeing for quick expansion in the country and for this it is forging alliances with local telecom giants. On Thursday, it announced signing a deal worth $140 million with Bharat Sanchar Nigam Limited ( BSNL) to expand mobile networks in northern India. State owned BSNL is India’s largest telecommunication company with a pan-Indian footprint in basic telephony and has a strong presence in the mobile telephony in non-metro circles.

This deal is in addition to the $285 million contract signed last year between the two companies and entails supplies of radio network equipment and services.

The network expansion will help BSNL to add 2 million new users in the states of Jammu & Kashmir, Haryana, Uttaranchal, Uttar Pradesh, Himachal Pradesh and Rajasthan. Currently BSNL has 42 million subscribers of which more than 12 million subscribe to GSM.

Nokia has a commendable market share of mobile handset sales in India, over 35%, this is in fact looking at the entire subcontinent as a very fertile zone since there has been a significant rise in tele-density in the last decade. The latest contract is part of Nokia’s strategy to further consolidate its position in the region