By IANS,
New Delhi : Telecom giant Bharti Airtel Wednesday said it has signed an agreement with Chinese telecom equipment manufacturer Huawei to expand its second and third generation (2G and 3G) network infrastructure in Africa.
Under the agreement, Huawei will design, plan, modernise and expand the telecom operator’s networks as well as manage operations.
“This partnership will allow us to focus on delivering better customer experience as we leverage the global network management expertise of Huawei,” said Manoj Kohli, chief executive officer (international) and joint managing director of Bharti Airtel.
“It also lays the foundation for the introduction of 3G HSPA (third generation high speed packet access) wireless broadband services,” he added.
Last year, Bharti Airtel acquired the African assets of Kuwait’s Zain for $10.7 billion, making it the world’s fifth largest mobile phone services company.
Huawei will deploy its complete GSM and 3G product portfolio.
In line with global trends, Africa is experiencing a surge in demand for access to mobile data applications. The modernisation of network will lower Bharti’s operating expenditure and allow it to offer customer centric products at affordable prices.