Global vendors are eagerly awaiting the upcoming 3G network deployment opportunity in India. But it appears that Nokia Siemens Networks (NSN) had a competitive foresight which saw the company setting up a  manufacturing facility in India way back in 2008 and which is now ready to serve the 3G demand from Indian operators. Kanika Atri, Head of Marketing & Communications – India Region at Nokia Siemens Networks speaks to TelecomTiger on NSN India’s 3G preparedness. 

Q1) What will be the production capacity of your 3G facility in India?

Ans: NSN does not disclose factory capacity, but we can confidently share that the Chennai facility has enough capacity to meet 100% of 3G equipment demand by all future Indian 3G operators. The facility is already producing 3G equipment and is also exporting to APAC region and even Europe. The choice of India to set up this manufacturing facility has been obvious. India is not just a high-growth telecommunications market, but also an innovation hub. Setting up manufacturing operations here has helped us enhance customer proximity and focus. We can now cater to the local demand more effectively with shorter time to market, improved delivery reliability, enhanced flexibility and reduced costs.

Nokia Siemens Networks inaugurated the Chennai facility for the manufacture and distribution of mobile communications infrastructure in 2008 with a USD 70 million investment spread over three years.

Q2) Apart from India which are the other markets you intend to serve through this facility?

Ans: The factory’s production will cater to domestic, as well as global markets such as  APAC & Europe; however, the demands of the Indian market will be given priority in the manufacturing decisions

Q3) Even with the setting up of local manufacturing facility, the threat from Chinese vendors still persists on the price front. How do you view this scenario especially considering that price is an important consideration in the decision-making process of Indian operators?

Ans: We believe that our true global and customer driven supply chain, with sourcing, manufacturing and distribution close to our customers in both mature and growth markets is a clear competitive advantage. Wherever our customers are, we can ensure short lead times, delivery reliability, flexibility and low cost. Our fully integrated, modular and lean delivery processes also give us the flexibility needed to quickly deliver not only hardware, but also software, services and solutions. So, our competitive advantage is not only cost based but value based, and our customers choose us due to our highest value of ownership of technology. We are highly competitive with our offerings right from manufacturing to deployment to maintenance, as we focus on building end to end efficiency and delivering superior customer experience for all our solutions and services.

Q4) Do you intend to cater to TD-LTE market in India as well through this facility?

Ans: The 3G base stations manufactured by Nokia Siemens Networks in Chennai are already LTE-ready. They can support LTE with a software upgrade; providing a convenient upgrade roadmap to operators.