Bharti Airtel expands managed services partnership with Ericsson

Bharti Airtel has extended an existing managed services agreement with Ericsson, under which the Swedish communications technology firm will operate, maintain and provide services across 70 per cent of the GSM operator's network in India.

Financial terms of the agreement were not disclosed. In addition to the standard portfolio of managed services, Ericsson will also take responsibility for the Intelligent Network (IN) that manages Bharti Airtel's pre-paid customer base, Bharti said in a statement.

The initiative is in line with Airtel's "commitment to ushering in the next level of user experience on wireless communications," it said, adding that Bharti Airtel will expand and extend contract across 15 circles over the next 5 years.

"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 us focus on creating a compelling service proposition for our customers, as we look to ramp up our market access for next generation services on 3G and 4G," BhartiAirtel CEO-India and South Asia Sanjay Kapoor said.

"The rapid increase in customer numbers, and the network complexities due to multiple technology overlays defines the need for a renewed focus on differentiated user experience. As more and more people are joining the networked society, in which everybody and everything is connected it is imperative that we continue to provide high- quality, innovative services to the end users," Fredrik Jejdling, Head of Ericsson India, said.

The 15 telecom circles under the scope of the partnership include Delhi, Jammu and Kashmir, Haryana, Punjab, Himachal Pradesh, Uttar Pradesh (West), Uttar Pradesh (East), Rajasthan, North Eastern states, Assam, Karnataka, Andhra Pradesh, Tamil Nadu, Chennai and Kerala.