Bharti inks pact with Ericsson for Africa ops

Bharti Airtel today signed a five-year service management agreement with Ericsson for its Africa operations for an undisclosed amount.

As per the agreement, Ericsson will manage and optimise Airtel's mobile networks in Africa in order to provide a superior customer experience, Bharti said in a statement.

However, the company did not disclose the financial details of the five-year deal.

"Ericsson has been our managed services and 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," Bharti Airtel CEO (International) & JMD Manoj Kohli said.

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

"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. We will use our global expertise in this field to provide Airtel’s customers with excellent service," Ericsson President and CEO Hans Vestberg said.

Further, Ericsson will deploy this superior 2G and HSPA 3G technology to ensure that Airtel's customers have an enhanced voice and data experience. As part of the modernisation, the company will also provide technology consulting, network planning and design and network deployment.

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.

Bharti Airtel is a leading global telecommunications company with operations in 19 countries across Asia and Africa.

Earlier during the month extending its partnership with IBM, Bharti airtel had awarded a 10-year contract to the technology giant for providing IT solutions to its employees across 16 African countries.

In June, Bharti airtel had given a $400 million order to a Chinese telecom vendor Huawei for modernising and expanding its 2G and 3G network infrastructure in African countries.