New Delhi, Feb 20 (IANS): Ericsson on Wednesday said it would deploy 5G-ready LTE equipment for Vodafone Idea's network in eight circles across India.

Under the contract, which has been signed for a three-year period, Ericsson would supply radio access and transport equipment from its "5G-ready Ericsson Radio System portfolio, including 'MINI-LINK' 6000 microwave backhaul solution", the company said in a statement.

"Ericsson today announced that it has been selected by Vodafone Idea Ltd to provide and deploy 5G-ready equipment across select markets in India," it said.

The deployments would provide Vodafone Idea's network with advanced LTE capabilities, high capacity, low latency microwave backhaul and enable rapid deployment 5G services in future, the company said.

According to the statement, Ericsson India has already begun radio access and microwave network consolidation and modernisation.

Consolidation of existing deployed base (2G and 3G) will be carried out to maximise spectrum on LTE, followed by ongoing optimisation of the network in order to enhance end-user experience, it said.

'Ericsson Radio System' is an end-to-end modular and scalable radio access network consisting of hardware, software, and services.

MINI-LINK for microwave transmission is a "fully-integrated IP router portfolio, and fronthaul solutions - all managed by a common management system".