Ericsson Expands Network Management in India

Ericsson has announced that the existing managed services and GSM/GPRS infrastructure agreement with Bharti -Tele-Ventures (BTVL) has been expanded to cover two additional regions on the Indian sub-continent. This brings the total number of regions covered by Ericsson to 15.

Ericsson will provide Bharti with complete network infrastructure, including locally produced Ericsson core and access network elements. Based on Bharti's capacity requirements, Ericsson provides design, deployment, integration, optimization and management of Bharti's network in the regions, called circles of Assam, North East.

Earlier in February 2004, Ericsson had announced similar agreements for 10 existing and 3 new circles of Bharti, the scope included the company's existing circles of Delhi, Haryana, Punjab, Himachal Pradesh, UP (west), Andhra Pradesh, Tamil Nadu, Chennai, Karnataka & Kerala and the three new circles of Rajasthan, UP (East) & Jammu & Kashmir. At an overall level, the contract also includes an expanded managed services scope of site maintenance for all the 15 circles covered by Ericsson.

The addition of new circles kickstarts Bharti's initiatives to provide cellular connectivity in the rural areas of India. Ericsson will complete this project in the stipulated time frame of three years. In 2004 Bharti and Ericsson announced a managed services and equipment contract worth US$400 million."

Posted to the site on 17th February 2005