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Convergence
India 2005
March
16, 2005
Ericsson, Bharti expand managed services,
infrastructure expansion contract
NEW
DELHI -- Ericsson recently announced that its 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 will provide design, deployment, integration,
optimisation and management of Bharti's network in the
regions, called circles of Assam, North East.
Earlier in February 2004, Ericsson announced similar
agreements for 10 existing and three 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 and Kerala
and the three new circles of Rajasthan, UP (East) and
Jammu and Kashmir. At an overall level, the contract
includes an expanded managed services scope of site
maintenance for all the 15 circles covered by Ericsson.
In addition, Bharti's initiatives to provide cellular
connectivity in the rural areas of India kickstarts.
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. Under the agreement, Ericsson
combines its world leadership in infrastructure and
services to deliver and manage available network capacity.
Bharti's decision to expand the contract with Ericsson
is a proof of Ericsson's strengths as a managed services
partner, delivering and managing network capacity as
per operator' requirements. By partnering with Ericsson,
Bharti is free to focus on its core business.
"With Bharti's expansion in new circles, our latest
agreement with Ericsson, one of the world's top suppliers
of telecom solutions, is yet another major step forward
in aligning the interest of the operator and the vendor
partner. The initative will substantially strengthen
Bharti's leadership position as a provider of high-tech
telecom services to its customers. In addition, it would
also give more economies of scale and would further
improve our cash flows," said Mr. Akhil Gupta,
Joint Managing Director, BTVL.
Jan Campbell, managing director, Ericsson India, said:
"We are honored to be selected once again as Bharti's
managed services partner. With our long-term close co-operation
with Bharti and our leading technology and solutions,
we are dedicated to supporting Bharti in building a
mobile network for the future, ensuring a clear competitive
edge in the market."
Contact:
Ericsson India
jatin.ahluwalia@ericsson.com
www.ericsson.com
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