Reliance Jio Selects 4G VendorsReliance Jio Selects 4G Vendors

Three vendors have landed the early spoils in one of India's most eagerly-awaited 4G network rollouts, according to industry sources cited by Light Reading India.According to the report, Alcatel-Lucent, Ericsson AB and Samsung Corp. have been selected by Reliance Jio Infocomm Ltd. for its 4G rollout.Alcatel-Lucent appears to have been chosen for the transport and backhaul infrastructure, Samsung for the radio access network (RAN) and Ericsson for its managed services.Reliance Jio (previously referred to as RIL or Infotel), a newcomer to India's telecom sector, is the only company to hold 4G licenses in all 22 circles (service areas) across the country, where 4G is also known as BWA (Broadband Wireless Access). As a result of its potential influence on the market, Reliance Jio's moves are tracked closely by the country's many existing mobile operators, the vendor community and potential customers. (See India's BWA Auction Ends in $8.2B Drama.)For more details, see AlcaLu, Samsung, Ericsson Grab Reliance Jio's 4G Deal: Sources. — Ray Le Maistre, Editor-in-Chief, Light Reading