MTN Nigeria signs managed services deal with Ericsson

African operator group MTN has signed a five-year managed services deal with Swedish kit vendor Ericsson relating to its Nigerian business. Ericsson will take full responsibility for MTN Nigeria’s network management, optimisation and field maintenance in Lagos, Abuja, Enugu, Port Harcourt and Asaba, which represents 75 per cent of the Nigerian network.

MTN is Nigeria’s leading operator according to Informa’s WCIS, with 55.4 million subscribers as of September 2013. According to Ericsson, the managed services deal will allow the operator to focus on its core business of providing customer experience management to its subscribers.

MTN will keep full ownership of its equipment and will remain responsible for the planning and design of its network and all equipment purchases.

“This engagement with Ericsson is a logical step forward in our strategy execution and is consistent with our commitment to deliver a bold new digital world to our customers across Nigeria,” said Michael Ikpoki, CEO at MTN Nigeria. “Leaving the management and maintenance of our infrastructure to Ericsson will allow us to focus even more on adding value to the customer experience on our network. We consider this partnership a joint investment in the growth of the telecommunications industry in Nigeria and a great opportunity to strengthen ICT knowledge and specialization locally.”

Jean-Claude Geha, head of managed services at Ericsson added that the deal marks a milestone for Ericsson in Nigeria and also in Africa. The vendor said that it has signed more than 300 managed services contracts in more than 100 countries worldwide.

In November last year, MTN Nigeria announced it would upgrade and expand its 3G network after signing a contract with microwave network solutions provider Cambridge Broadband Networks (CBNL).

AfricaCom 2014  takes place at the CTICC in Cape Town, South Africa on the 11th to 13th November.