Nokia and Indian state-owned operator BSNL have announced another component of their renewed partnership, with an agreement to deploy smart telecom poles across BSNL's operating circles.
BSNL operates in all of India's telecom circles apart from Mumbai and Delhi, which are the domain of fellow state-owned operator MTNL.
Under the agreement, Nokia will supply, install, commission and maintain the smart telecom poles, that will be integrated with smart LED lighting systems, CCTV cameras, digital billboards and environmental sensors.
The smart pole solution has been designed for emerging markets and are being manufactured at Nokia's manufacturing plant in Chennai, India.
The pole can be adapted to various geographical environments and climate conditions, and houses a custom power backup solution to provide continuity of service during power outages.
BSNL plans to use the deployment to provide mobile connectivity and smart solutions for citizens, and to help prepare its network for the needs of emerging technologies such as the IoT and 5G.
"We at BSNL are committed to India's socioeconomic development. Telecommunications can make a great impact on people's lives and with the new technologies and innovation, that opportunity will only grow,” BSNL chairman and MD Anupam Srivastava said.
“Nokia is already one of our key partners in deploying our network around the country, and we're delighted to be working with them on the smart pole opportunity and showcasing our capabilities for the future smart cities."
This month BSNL and Nokia have also announced a new collaboration on public safety networking, and an agreement to use LTE technology to conduct India's first real-world Industry 4.0 implementation at Nokia's Chennai factory.