With demand for mobile data services at an all time, new entrant Uninor seems to be gearing up to launch these services coinciding with the launch of conventional mobile services over the GSM platform. Uninor, the JV between India’s Unitech Wireless and Norway’s Telenor today awarded a pan-India GPRS network deployment contract to Nokia Siemens Networks (NSN).

The deal is valid for three-years. As part of the deal, NSN will provide services ranging from network implementation, operations and management of the GPRS network. NSN claims that its solution will deliver increased network efficiency, organizational flexibility, transparency and reduced cost of ownership to Uninor. From a technical perspective, NSN will implement IP/Multi Protocol Layer Switching (MPLS) technology and design an end-to-end packet core network with high resiliency and performance.

NSN will also equip Uninor with an online and offline mediation system and the NetAct network management system will monitor, manage and optimize the network to support high speed data services. 

“Get technology, costs and speed that is better than competition and get the most competent partner to manage these for us. Invest what we save in building our brand by creating better products and better customer service and become the preferred SIM. This is our model, and we found Nokia Siemens Networks a perfect fit,” said Stein-Erik Vellan, Managing Director, Unitech Wireless.

 “The mobile data surge is happening now,” added Urs Pennanen, Head of India region at Nokia Siemens Networks. “Gearing up for launch by end of this year, our solution will enable Unitech Wireless to meet the demands of increased user traffic – both from a service and cost point of view. For us this partnership is especially significant since it proves we are the clear number 1 for packet core implementations in the Indian market.”

The financial details of the deal were not disclosed.

 Uninor had earlier granted the 2G network deployment order to Huawei and Alcatel-Lucent.