Airtel extends its pan India Managed Services partnership with Ericsson

Bharti Airtel (“Airtel”) has renewed its agreement with Ericsson to provide pan-India managed network operations through Ericsson Operations Engine.

Randeep Sekhon, Chief Technology Officer, Bharti Airtel, says, “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 these new technologies will enable us to serve the emerging data requirements of customers in a digitally connected India.”

The three-year deal will see Airtel launching Ericsson Operation 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. Ericsson will also manage Airtel’s network operations center and field maintenance activities across India.

Ericsson will also provide Network Optimization Services, combining multi-vendor networks expertise with its state-of-the-art machine learning/AI-enabled Cognitive Software Suite. This will deliver a better customer experience and ensure a superior return from Airtel’s deployed network assets.

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 performance and operational efficiency.

Nunzio Mirtillo, Head of Ericsson South-east Asia, Oceania and India, says, “Ericsson Operations Engine consolidates our position as the industry leader in network managed services. With more than 300 global contracts, Ericsson has proven capabilities in managing and operating multi-vendor and multi-technology networks. This agreement demonstrates the continued confidence in our products and end-to-end solutions in Bharti Airtel’s network and IT operations. We will continue to develop data-driven insights to deliver enhanced performance focused on end-user experience.”

Airtel and Ericsson’s long-standing technology and services partnership has spanned 2G, 3G, 4G provision and more recently, live 5G trials.