Telecommunications service provider Bharti Airtel has completed a network transformation programme involving 16 African countries in partnership with Ericsson
A statement from the company said that the programme involved upgrade and expansion of network elements on all of Airtel’s African operations like switching, radio, network management, data, charging, and consumer-services platforms and systems.
Airtel Africa chief technical officer Eben Albertyn said, “The transformation will allow us to provide Airtel subscribers with the best network possible, while meeting the growing usage of mobile data.
“Our long-standing relationship with Ericsson gave us confidence in its ability to manage and deliver such a large and complex project.”
The company statement said that the programme, as part of which Ericsson has deployed wireless technologies, will enhance Airtel’s network capacity and robustness and help deliver services to customers at affordable rates.
It added, “This also makes Airtel’s networks ready for next generation services that include high speed data and value added services.”
The company said it implemented a full upgrade of the charging platforms across all operations using Ericsson's Charging System, which will enable it to offer services like "mobile wallets" to the subscribers.
Ericsson sub-Saharan Africa head Lars Lindn said, “In the transition to a Networked Society in Africa, operators are facing growing challenges in meeting the rapidly evolving demands of consumers. The focus of this project was transforming Airtel Africa’s networks to meet current and future consumer demands.”
