Airtel Extends Partnership With Ericsson To Provide Pan-India Managed Services

To manage pan-India network operations, Indian telecom company Bharti Airtel has renewed its agreement with Swedish telecom gear maker Ericsson. In a 3-year deal, Airtel will be seen launching Ericsson Operation Engine during 2020. Airtel’s network operations center and field maintenance all across India will be managed by Ericsson. Ericsson will deploy the latest automation, machine learning, and artificial intelligence (AI) technologies to enhance Airtel’s mobile network performance and customer experience. Ericsson will also manage Airtel’s network operations center and field maintenance activities across India. The agreement builds on the 25-year collaboration between the two companies that Airtel will use Ericsson’s global capabilities in AI-based data-driven automated technology upgrades to boost Airtel’s network performance and operational efficiency.

Network Optimization Services along with multi-network expertise with its state-of-the-art machine learning/AI-enabled Cognitive Software Suite will also be provided by Ericsson. This will deliver a better customer experience and ensure a superior return from Airtel’s deployed network assets.

Ericsson has been providing telecom network equipment and services for 2G, 3G, 4G, and recently both the companies started running 5G trials.

Randeep Sekhon, Chief Technology Officer, Bharti Airtel, says: “We are pleased to strengthen our deep partnership with Ericsson as part of our vision to build a future-ready network that enables world-class experience for our customers. We are confident these new technologies will enable us to serve the emerging data requirements of customers in a digitally connected India.”

Nunzio Mirtillo, Head of Ericsson Southeast Asia, Oceania, and India, says, “Ericsson Operations Engine consolidates our position as the industry leader in network managed services. With more than 300 global contracts, Ericsson has proven capabilities in managing and operating multi-vendor and multi-technology networks. This agreement demonstrates the continued confidence in our products and end-to-end solutions in Bharti Airtel’s network and IT operations. We will continue to develop data-driven insights to deliver enhanced performance focused on end-user experience.”