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Ericsson awarded major expansion, managed services deal with Bharti Airtel in India

Bharti Airtel has awarded Ericsson an estimated USD 1 billion contract, including expansion and an upgrade of its GSM/GPRS network and managed services. The deal will enable Bharti Airtel to rapidly extend its GSM footprint in the country and increase its network capacity.

The three-year services agreement will see Ericsson manage design, development and deployment of Bharti’s network, including capacity and coverage, enabling the operator to expand in rural India and reach out to all towns and cities in 15 regions.

Ericsson will also upgrade the network with mobile softswitch (Media Gateway and MSC Servers), the solution that paves the way to an all-IP network. Bharti Airtel will be able to reduce the operational costs and introduce new services in a cost-efficient way.

Manoj Kohli, president, Bharti Airtel, says: “At Bharti, it has been our endeavor to find innovative business models to deliver a better customer experience. Our partnership with Ericsson is testament to this belief as it allows us to focus on delivering a better customer experience even as we leverage the world-class expertise of our partners to roll out our networks across all census towns by March 2007. In addition, we are also sourcing next-generation products that will allow us to deliver innovative products and services to our customers.”

Mats Granryd, managing director, Ericsson India, says: “Rollout speed plays an extremely important role in large expansions of this nature and Ericsson has demonstrated expertise in this area. We are honored and pleased that Bharti Airtel has chosen us as a partner to expand its coverage across India, particularly in the untapped rural areas.”

Ericsson is a long-term Bharti partner, managing more than 70 percent of its GSM/GPRS network in 15 regions in India.