Bharti selects Ericsson, Huawei for B'desh network

Telecom service provider Bharti Airtel has selected Swedish telecom equipment maker Ericsson and China's Huawei to set up its network in Bangladesh. However, the company did not reveal the deal size.

The company had acquired a 70 per cent stake in Warid Telecom of Bangladesh for $300 million (about Rs 1,363 crore) earlier this year. Warid Telecom has a user base of over three million in Bangladesh.

The agreement was modelled on Bharti's highly successful managed networks business model in India and Sri Lanka, the company said in a statement.

Ericsson would deliver and manage majority of the company's network capacity, while Huawei would swap the existing radio network in the eastern areas of Bangladesh, the company said.

"This will enable Bharti to take its network deep into Bangladesh and contribute to the growth of telecom in the country with affordable services," it added.

It will also offer its customers enhanced voice quality and faster data access to facilitate internet take-up.

The agreement also includes network design, planning, implementation, project management and material and services for the base station sites and microwave transmission. It will also enable advanced business applications, more entertainment options and provide a platform for evolved mobile services for a wider area in rural Bangladesh.

These partnerships will ensure that the networks are 3G-ready to roll out the services at a later date.

Bharti Airtel, which added 2.03 million subscribers in August, has a total user base of 141.25 million in India.