Ericsson completes world's largest live network upgrade

Swedish telecom network supplier Ericsson today said it has completed the world's largest upgrade of live mobile network for telecom major Vodafone Essar in record time.

Ericsson replaced more than 10,500 of the operator's GSM radio sites, reaching a peak rate of one site every minute, Ericsson said in a statement.

The network modernisation project began in February 2008 and ended first quarter 2009, two months ahead of schedule, it added.

Vodafone Essar had started the modernisation project to improve service quality for its more than 13 million subscribers in the four key zones, including three metros.

It took Ericsson only 13 months to complete the project.     

"This record-breaking network modernisation project demonstrates Ericsson's end-to-end capacity and expertise in carrying out large and complex projects," Ericsson President (India and Sri Lanka) Gowton Achaibar said.