Bharti Airtel signs five-year agreement with Ericsson

Under a separate two year agreement, Ericsson will upgrade Airtel's mobile networks; including its multi-standard RBS 6000 base station. Ericsson will deploy 2G and HSPA 3G technology and will also provide technology consulting, network planning & design and network deployment.

Manoj Kohli, CEO (international) and joint MD, Bharti Airtel said, "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. The new generation equipment from Ericsson will help reduce our total cost of ownership of the networks".

Hans Vestberg, president and CEO, Ericsson, says: "Ericsson is the industry leader in managed services, managing networks for operators 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. We will use our global expertise in this field to provide Airtel's customers with excellent service."