Indian operator Reliance Communications is reported to be planning an order for 80-100 million GSM lines following its award of spectrum last week from the Indian government. According to India’s Business Standard, the order – which could account for more than 10% of global production over the next three years – would be the country’s largest for telecom equipment and one of the world’s biggest ever mobile network deals. The order, spread over three years, is expected to be finalised in the next few weeks following negotiations with equipment manufacturers including Huawei, Alcatel-Lucent, ZTE, Ericsson, Motorola and Nokia, the report added.

Reliance was one of the nine winners of Unified Access Service Licenses (UASLs) awarded in India last week. The license will allow the company – India’s largest CDMA operator – to launch nationwide GSM services in 14 ‘circles’ nationally. “The launch of nationwide GSM services would enable Reliance to effectively target the fast-growing subscriber additions of 6 million GSM subscribers every month,” the company said in a statement. “The company would also address the telecommunciation requirements of the existing 172 million GSM customers with the launch of nationwide GSM network in addition to its CDMA network. Reliance Communications, through its subsidiary Reliance Telecom, already offers GSM services in 8 circles.”