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Five announcements from telecom giant Ericsson for Indian market

Ericsson group CEO Hans Vestberg called on Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Wednesday. While the details of his meeting with the prime minister aren't known, here are five other announcements that the company made on the same day.

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Swedish telecom giant Ericsson is betting big on India. On Wednesday, the company's group CEO Hans Vestberg called on Prime Minister Narendra Modi, the latter said in a tweet. 

While details about Vestberg's meeting with Prime Minister Narendra Modi aren't known, here are some announcements that the company made for its future plans in India. 

Mr. Hans Vestberg, Group CEO of @ericsson called on PM @narendramodi. pic.twitter.com/BC4B68wVFF

— PMO India (@PMOIndia) September 2, 2015

1) Second manufacturing unit will be export hub: Ericsson will make an initial investment of $15-20 million (approximately Rs 99-132 crore) for setting up a new, second manufacturing facility in Pune. Ericsson already has a manufacturing unit in Jaipur. The new facility, expected to go on steam around June-July next year, will be an export hub for the company. Ericsson plans to export telecom equipment made at the plant to about 180 countries.

"Around $15-20 million will be invested initially for the manufacturing facility in Pune which will be operationalized by mid of next year," Ericsson President and CEO Hans Vestberg said.

2) Double employee base in India: The company plans to double its employee base in India over the next few years, the CEO said, but did not divulge more details. The company currently has about 21,000 employees here. Vestberg said from 2010 to 2015, the company has added 15,000 employees.The addition of staff will be for services segment which is growing at a rapid pace for the company.

3) Four-year network contract with Airtel: The company has signed another four-year agreement with Airtel to expand its 3G network across eight telecom circles in the country. Financial details of the contracts were not shared by Ericsson. This is Ericsson's first 4G network using LTE-FDD technology in Delhi. Apart from Delhi, Ericsson will deploy LTE network in 4 other circles. It did not let out details though. Ericsson India Head Paolo Colella said the company is the market leader on LTE technology with 40% of the world's LTE smartphone traffic currently served by its network. According to Ericsson, LTE subscriptions in India are expected to reach more than 230 million by 2020, which will work out to around 17% of the total subscription base. Regarding the 3G contract, Ericsson said the rollout will take place in both 2100 MHz and 900 MHz bands. As part of the network, Ericsson will supply, install and manage services.

4) Ericsson to focus on 5G Vestberg has said, Ericsson continues to focus on its R&D beyond mobile networks to include the areas of IP networks, cloud, TV and media."Strengthening our position as a leading software company, as well as establishing early leadership in the standardisation and realisation of the next generation of mobile networks, or 5G, are key factors for success," he added.

5) New radio system for Indian market: The comany also launched its new radio system for the Indian market on Wednesday. The radio system delivers energy-efficient and compact radio solution, while maintaining performance leadership at half the size and weight of previous solutions. Ericsson said the new system reduces site acquisition issues and delivers three times the capacity density with a 50% improvement in energy efficiency. 

(With agencies)

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