By Telecom Lead Team: African
mobile major MTN has extended its managed services agreement with Ericsson for
its Ghana operations. MTN has 49 percent market share in Ghana. In 2011, MTN
grew by around 18 percent in the country to serve over 10 million subscribers.
In 2009, MTN signed the
first managed services contract with Ericsson for rolling out its 3G network in
Ghana. Under the extension, Ericsson is responsible for network operations,
field maintenance and optimization.
“Our first two years
together achieved the results we were hoping for: we could focus on subscriber
growth, and Ericsson delivered network reliability and efficiencies,” said
Jon Hoffmann, chief technical officer, MTN Ghana.
MTN will retain full
ownership of the network and responsibility for its strategic direction, while
Ericsson will manage the network operations, optimization and field maintenance
for MTN’s 3G sites.
“MTN and Ericsson
collaborate in many areas across this and other regions for several years now
and in Ghana we are especially pleased to have been part of the journey towards
10 million subscribers,” said Valter D`Avino, head of Managed Services
Ericsson.
Globally Ericsson signed
more than 300 managed services contracts in more than 100 countries.
Ericsson manages networks on
behalf of operators that serve over 850 million subscribers worldwide. By
teaming up with Ericsson, operators can strengthen their competitive edge
through improved network availability and capacity, while reducing their
operating costs. This, in turn, increases market growth for mobile services,
which helps improve the quality of services and the end-user experience.
Recently, Bharti Airtel
expanded and extended its managed services agreement with Ericsson for
its India operations.
Airtel expands and extends managed services deal with Ericsson
for India operations
With India emerging as the
third largest internet market and a multi-fold growth in data traffic on the
back of a rising number of smartphones, wireless networks need to be ready for
the data revolution that has only just begun. This unique multi-technology
Managed Services partnership with Ericsson will help Airtel focus on creating a
compelling service proposition for its customers.
Under this managed
services agreement Ericsson will provide multi-vendor, multi-technology managed
services by operating and maintaining a majority of Bharti Airtel’s network
across India. Ericsson will be responsible for the Intelligent
Network that manages Bharti Airtel’s prepaid customer base. Bharti Airtel will
expand and extend contract across 15 circles for five years.
Ericsson will also ensure
effective management of operational expenditure and maximize efficiencies of
scale whilst undertaking to improve the overall quality of the network in these
circles.
