Ericsson has signed a five-year managed services agreement with MTN, a leading telecommunications company with presence in 21 countries in Africa and the Middle East, for its Nigeria operations.

MTN Nigeria is the largest mobile operator in Nigeria and West Africa with over 45 million subscribers. This agreement not only extends Ericsson’s managed services leadership across Africa, but makes Ericsson MTN’s largest managed services partner on the continent.

Under the contract, Ericsson will assume full responsibility of the management, optimization and field maintenance of MTN’s network infrastructure in Lagos, Abuja, Enugu, Port Harcourt and Asaba, which represents 75 percent of the network . With Ericsson taking over the day-to-day operations of the network, MTN is able to focus even more on its core business; providing a superior customer experience across all its network offerings.

Mr. Michael Ikpoki, Chief Executive Officer, MTN Nigeria, says: “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. 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. Ericsson is the global leader in the managed services space and the right partner for us.”

MTN will retain ownership and full control of its network assets and continue to have responsibility for strategic design and planning, as well as equipment purchasing decisions.

Jean-Claude Geha, Head of Managed Services at Ericsson, says: “This agreement with MTN, Nigeria’s largest telecom operator, marks a milestone for Ericsson in Nigeria and in the region. In Managed Services,we bring our global expertise and experience to benefit our customers and ultimately their subscribers’ experience of the network.”

Ericsson has signed more than 300 managed services contracts in more than 100 countries and manages networks on behalf of operators that serve over 1 billion subscribers worldwide. By teaming up with Ericsson, operators can strengthen their competitive edge through improved network availability and capacity, while reducing their operating costs.