Ericsson is now the official mobile network manager for Etisalat’s Atlantique network, which will spread across West and Central Africa.
Ericsson’s new role following the five-year contract will extend to up to 10 million subscribers under Atlantique Telecom and will serve Benin, Cote d’Ivoire, Gabon, Niger and Togo.
The contract covers network operations, network optimisation, field maintenance and spare parts management for Etisalat’s multi-vendor mobile networks, including access, core and transmission, as well as value added services.
Atlantique says the agreement enables the company to concentrate more on its core business of delivering innovative products for its customer base taking into account its customers’ requirements.
CEO Nagi Abboud adds the partnership is part of the company’s strategy to provide better services through outsourcing in the evolving competitive landscape.
“With the evolution of the competitive landscape in our markets, we need to adapt our operating model to provide a better service to our end users,” he said.
“Adopting this business outsourcing model is therefore an important step in our group strategy execution that will be for the benefit of our subscribers, who remain our top priority, and this will, as well, open new growth opportunities to our employees.”
Head of Ericsson sub-Saharan region Lars Linden says Ericsson’s partnership with Atlantique will help define a new generation of operators in Africa.
“Managed services is a proven business model to support operators in growth mode and it is one of the most dynamic areas in our industry. Our work together will support Atlantique Telecom in defining a new generation of operators in Africa,” he said.
