Today’s latest telecom news includes announcements on Tejas Networks, Nokia, SoftBank, Ericsson, KTH, NTU Singapore, and others.
Tejas Networks Begins 4G RAN Equipment Supplies for 18,865 Additional BSNL Sites
Tejas Networks has started supplying radio access network equipment for 18,865 additional BSNL 4G sites across India. The company disclosed the development on October 16 in its second-quarter FY2027 results. Tejas received a letter of intent from Tata Consultancy Services during the quarter and began equipment deliveries. The order expands the supplier’s involvement in BSNL’s nationwide indigenous 4G network deployment. Tejas previously supplied radio equipment supporting BSNL’s existing network rollout. The company reported an order book of ₹2,315 crore at September 30, compared with ₹1,529 crore at the end of June. The value attributable specifically to the additional BSNL equipment order was not disclosed.
Nokia and SoftBank Plan Commercial AI-RAN Field Trial in Japan for 2027
Nokia and SoftBank have agreed to conduct an AI-RAN field trial in Japan during 2027, using a live commercial mobile-network environment and commercial traffic. The planned deployment will integrate Nokia’s anyRAN software with SoftBank’s AITRAS platform, NVIDIA ARC-Pro-based accelerated computing and the AITRAS Orchestrator. The trial will evaluate how AI workloads and radio-access-network functions operate on shared accelerated computing infrastructure. It is intended to validate AI-RAN capabilities under actual network conditions rather than laboratory-only testing. The companies have not disclosed the trial’s investment value, number of radio sites, participating customers, spectrum bands or expected throughput improvements. The agreement establishes a future field-validation program; a completed commercial AI-RAN deployment has not yet been announced.
Ericsson, KTH and NTU Singapore Launch Multi-Year 6G Positioning Research Program
Ericsson has launched a multi-year research collaboration with Sweden’s KTH Royal Institute of Technology and Nanyang Technological University in Singapore to develop positioning technologies using artificial intelligence and 6G. Announced on October 19, the program will examine how future wireless networks can support robots, drones and autonomous systems operating in complex indoor and outdoor environments. Research includes positioning where direct radio visibility is obstructed, a challenge for industrial automation and connected infrastructure. Potential applications include ports, airports, manufacturing facilities, logistics and emergency communications. The participants have not disclosed research funding, spectrum allocations, prototype performance targets or commercial deployment dates. The program remains at the research stage rather than representing an operator network rollout.
