Africa - Bharti Airtel has signed a 5-year agreement to manage its network operations in Africa

[The Citizen] The global telecommunications company, Bharti Airtel, has signed a five year-managed services agreement with Ericsson for its Africa operations.

According to Ericsson's statement made available to The Citizen, as per agreement, Ericsson will manage and optimise Airtel's mobile networks in Africa in order to provide a superior customer experience.

Under a separate two-year agreement, Ericsson will modernise and upgrade Airtel's mobile networks in Africa with the latest technology.

"Ericsson will also set up superior 2G and High Speed Packet Access (HSPA) 3G technology to ensure that Airtel's customers have an enhanced voice and data experience," the statement reads in part.

As part of the modernisation, Ericsson will offer technology consulting, network planning and design as well as network deployment.



According to Bharti Airtel chief executive officer (CEO), Mr Manoj Kohli, Ericsson managed services and was its network technology partner in the Asian operations.

"Given its expertise and strong track record we are confident that this partnership will be able to efficiently deliver the best networks and services to our customers in Africa."

He added that the new generation equipment from Ericsson would help reduce their (Airtel) total cost of ownership of the networks.

Ericsson's first multi-country managed services deal in Africa will enable Airtel focus on its core operations of innovating and launching new products, services and mobile applications for over 44 million customers across the continent.

Mr Hans Vestberg, president and CEO of Ericsson said his company is the industry leader in managed services, managing networks for operations worldwide that serve more than 800 million subscribers.

"This deal will allow us to assist Airtel with the complex task of managing operations in multiple countries. It also provides an opportunity for us to extend our managed services into new untapped African markets," he said.

Mr Vestberg pointed out that they would utilise their global expertise in this field to provide Airtel's customers with excellent service.

Telecom Company Plans to Modernise Networks on Continent