Ericsson Wins Nigerian Network Management Contract

Ericsson says that it has won a five-year network management contract with Zain Nigeria. Under the agreement, Ericsson will be responsible for the network operations, field operations including optimization, third-party vendor management for Zain's GSM/WCDMA networks, and business support systems.

Ericsson will serve more than 4000 sites across Nigeria on behalf of Zain. As part of the agreement, about 450 employees will be transferred, under their existing terms and conditions of service, from Zain to Ericsson, where they will undergo further training in the latest wireless technologies.

Lars Lindén, President, Ericsson Sub-Saharan Africa, says the agreement will deliver significant financial and operational efficiencies for Zain over the five-year term. Lindén also welcomed the Zain employees who will be transferred to Ericsson under the agreement. "With their knowledge and expertise, the Zain employees will be welcome additions to an area that is a core business for Ericsson. This agreement will allow both companies to strengthen their competitiveness, which will ultimately increase market growth for mobile services," he says.

According to statistics from the Mobile World analysts, Zain Nigeria (formerly Celtel) ended Q1 '09 with just over 15 million customers, and a market share of around 27%.

Financial terms of the contract were not disclosed.

On the web: Mobile World - Zain Nigeria

Posted to the site on 8th June 2009