GSM Capital: How Ericsson’s millionth base station went live in Nigeria

Ericsson said back in 2007 that it delivered its millionth GSM base station in Nigeria in a period that saw the nation riding the crest of the mobile telephony revolution.

The shipment marks a milestone for the GSM technology that, since its introduction in 1991, has connected more than 2.3 billion users, Ericsson said at the time underscoring its deployment of the networks in over 100 countries.

According to Ericsson, its millionth GSM base station globally was delivered to MTN Nigeria.

The technology standard has become favoured by telcos because of “cost efficiencies offered by GSM, its broad portfolio of devices, plus its track record of securing migration to 3G systems have helped secure the GSM technology’s position in both high-growth and established markets.”

Ericsson said that since delivering its first base station in 1991 to Mannesmann in Germany, it had at the time “emerged as the market leader in GSM technology.”

According to the company, “the growth in demand for GSM services has resulted in Ericsson delivering the same number of GSM Base Stations during 2004-2007 as during the period 1991-2003.”

Ericsson said then that, “strong growth is expected to continue. The number of GSM subscribers around the world is set to increase by 40 million per month during 2007 according to the global trade association GSM Association, GSMA. More than 10 million are currently being added every month across India and China. In India alone, Ericsson is currently installing a new GSM base station every 15 minutes.”

Kurt Jofs, Executive Vice President and head of Business Unit Networks at Ericsson, said at the time that, “after 16 years, the pace of GSM deployments shows no sign of slowing down. In fact, we expect 2007 to be the fifth consecutive record year for deliveries.”