Nokia Corp. has been awarded a $125 million contract to expand digital mobile networks for India's leading telecommunications company Bharti Tele-Ventures, doubling its network capacity.

The world's biggest mobile phone maker said Tuesday the three-year contract includes Bharti's Airtel networks in the states of Maharashtra (including Goa and Mumbai), Gujarat, Bihar and Orissa. It will also enable Airtel to cover more than 5,000 towns and villages across India, the world's largest cell phone maker said.

Last year, Nokia signed a $275 million deal to supply equipment and managed services for Bharti, which has 13 million customers in India.

"To sustain India's economic growth, it is imperative to take the benefits of mobile communications to the rural consumers," said Manoj Kohli, president of mobility at Bharti Tele-Ventures. "Nokia ... will help us deliver economically viable services to the low revenue consumers."

To meet growing regional demand Nokia is increasingly turning its attention from Europe, where the mobile phone market is reaching saturation levels, to the growing market in Asia.

In April, it announced that Chennai in southeastern India would be the site for its new mobile manufacturing plant expected to employ up to 2,000 people.