Ericsson scores a big 5G deal win with Ooredoo Group

Operator group Ooredoo, which has operations across the Middle East, North Africa and South Asia, has gone big on Ericsson for its 5G rollout.

For some reason Ericsson’s comms people feel the need to label these deals as strategic, as opposed to tactical or ad hoc. It’s presumably corporate speak for ‘big’ and in this case the hyperbole seems relatively justified. Not only does the deal cover all of the countries Ooredoo operates in, it involves the Full Monty of Ericsson shininess.

The five-year super-duper, amazingly strategic deal covers the following countries: Qatar, Indonesia, Algeria, Iraq, Kuwait, Oman, Palestine, Tunisia, Myanmar and Maldives. Ooredoo has committed to buying the following from Ericsson: radio, core, cloud stuff and microwave solutions, as well as the associated services and maintenance.

“The agreement represents another step in the longstanding and successful partnership between Ericsson and Ooredoo, which enables our company to continue network expansion, enhancement and digital transformation,” said Sheikh Mohammed Bin Abdulla Al Thani, Deputy Group CEO at Ooredoo Group. “Ericsson is bringing state-of-the-art global technologies to the countries we operate in, which enables us to provide the latest digital solutions for communities to enjoy the best of the internet, including connecting the most remote areas, supporting startups digitally and providing immersive experiences for sports fans at upcoming mega-sporting events.”

“5G as a platform for innovation will speed up Ooredoo’s journey towards digital transformation,” said Fredrik Jejdling, Head of Networks at Ericsson. “It will fuel new use cases that cater to evolving consumer and enterprise demands. It is with great pride that we strengthen our collaboration as we continue supporting Ooredoo’s ambition of delivering high-performing networks and superior user experience.”

While some of the countries Ooredoo operates in a pretty small, the group on the whole is a significant operator (pun intended). As the quote above indicates, the Qatar World Cup will be a great opportunity for 5G to flex its muscles, so that country may well be the first strategic priority for this strategic partnership.