Bharti Airtel has signed a multi-year strategic deal with Swedish telecom company Ericsson. As part of this agreement, Ericsson will manage Airtel’s services across technologies like 4G, 5G NSA, 5G SA, Fixed Wireless Access (FWA), Private Networks, and Network Slicing.
Moreover, Ericsson will handle Airtel’s entire network across India through its advanced Network Operations Centre (NOC). This partnership will also help scale up services like FWA and network slicing.
Airtel Aims for a Future-Ready Network
Speaking about the partnership, Airtel CTO Randeep Sekhon said, “We are excited to enhance our strong collaboration with Ericsson as we pursue our goal of creating a future-ready network that delivers an exceptional experience for our customers.”
He further added, “We believe that these innovative technologies will empower us to meet the growing data demands of consumers in a digitally connected India.”
Ericsson Highlights Commitment to India
Ericsson also shared its excitement about the collaboration. Andres Vicente, Head of Market Area Southeast Asia, Oceania, and India at Ericsson, said, “This milestone agreement with Bharti Airtel reinforces our commitment to helping Airtel deliver the best possible experience for its customers.”
Additionally, he stated, “By leveraging Intent-Based NOC Operations, we will enable Airtel to unlock wider service diversification to meet customer needs, thereby enabling new revenue opportunities for Airtel.”
Partnership Built Over 25 Years
Airtel and Ericsson have worked together for over 25 years. Their long partnership has covered several generations of mobile technology.
Recently, they also partnered to upgrade Airtel’s 5G Core network, helping drive its 5G evolution.
Airtel Expands in India and Abroad
Today, Airtel provides services to more than 550 million customers in 15 countries across India and Africa. In addition, the company operates in Bangladesh and Sri Lanka through its associate companies.
Airtel Also Partners with Google
Meanwhile, last month, Airtel announced a partnership with Google. This new offer brings Google One cloud storage to Airtel’s postpaid and Wi-Fi customers.
Under this plan, users will receive 100 GB of cloud storage free for six months. Furthermore, they can share it with up to five other people.
