MUMBAI : Telecom major Bharti Airtel on Tuesday renewed its agreement with Swedish telecom equipment maker Ericsson to provide pan-India managed network operations through Ericsson Operations Engine.
Airtel’s and Ericsson’s technology and services partnership has spanned 2G, 3G and 4G provisions, and more recently, live 5G trials.
Telecom operators have been upgrading their technology partnerships rapidly in light of both geopolitical concerns around equipment vendors, as well as the increasing dependency on telecom services due to the covid-19 pandemic. Both Vodafone Idea and Bharti Airtel have a mix of telecom equipment vendors, including Chinese firms.
The three-year deal will see Airtel launching Ericsson Operations Engine during 2020. Ericsson will deploy the latest automation, machine learning and artificial intelligence (AI) technologies to enhance Airtel’s mobile network performance and customer experience. It will also manage Airtel’s network operation centres and field maintenance activities across India.
Recent reports said Airtel may exit the Tamil Nadu circle partnership with Huawei, and replace it with Ericsson, following a similar move in Rajasthan. Ericsson will also provide network optimization services, combining multi-vendor network expertise with its state-of-the-art machine learning and AI-enabled Cognitive Software Suite. This will deliver better customer experience and ensure superior return from Airtel’s deployed network assets.
Randeep Sekhon, chief technology officer, Bharti Airtel, said: “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 the new technologies will enable us to serve emerging data requirements of customers in a digitally-connected India."
The agreement builds on the 25-year collaboration between Ericsson and Airtel in India, and will use Ericsson’s global capabilities in AI-based, data-driven automated technology upgrades to boost Airtel’s network and operational efficiencies.
Nunzio Mirtillo, head of Ericsson Southeast Asia, Oceania and India, said: “Ericsson Operations Engine consolidates our position as the industry leader in network managed services. With over 300 global contracts, Ericsson has proven capabilities in managing multi-vendor and multi-technology networks. This agreement demonstrates the continued confidence in our products and solutions in Bharti Airtel’s network and IT operations."
Telcos Jio, Airtel, Vodafone Idea and BSNL, and vendors Nokia, Samsung, Ericsson, Huawei and ZTE have applied for conducting 5G trials.
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