Smile, Ericsson close managed services deal

Smile Communications says it has selected Ericsson, a global leader in telecommunications, to manage operations and maintenance for its five African operations including Nigeria.

According to Smile, its deal with Ericsson is the first 4G/ LTE managed services contract signed in Sub-Saharan Africa and will cover Nigeria, Tanzania, Uganda and Democratic Republic of Congo.

The five-year contract includes network operation, network performance and optimization, field services, and spare parts management for its five African operations, Smile says.

According to Ericsson, under the terms of the agreement, it will manage Smile Communications’ 4G/LTE networks across all operations.

Ericsson will also provide a fully managed end-to-end service that includes network operations, performance, optimization, field support and maintenance for Smile’s LTE networks in Tanzania, Uganda, Nigeria and later in the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC).

Tom Allen, Group COO of Smile Communications says “we regard Ericsson as more than a vendor, we are long term partners focused on delivering on the Smile promise to be the broadband provider of choice in Africa and to ensure that our customers fully benefit from the internet world.”

Fredrik Jejdling, President Ericsson sub-Saharan Africa says “we are excited to be delivering this service to Smile as it further extends our partnership with the operator in the region. Bringing with us our expertise as global HSPA and LTE leaders, this partnership enables Smile Communications to focus even more on the core business of delivering superior products and services that cater to the needs of its subscribers, whilst at the same time improving operational efficiency.”