A partnership between Ethiopian telecommunications company Ethio Telecom and Swedish multinational networking and telecommunications company Ericsson has been established to expand Ethio Telecom’s 4G services. The expansion of 4G services will be deployed in the South West region of Ethiopia within this year. A press release by Ericsson revealed that the company would provide its portfolio of Ericsson Radio System Products to Ethio Telecom for this deployment project.
4G Network Core Expansion to Take Place in Ethio Telecom’s Regional Data Centers
Ethio’s Telecom’s regional data centres, including the data centres in Addis Ababa, will witness the core expansion of the 4G network. Ethio Telecom plans to modernise its network through this partnership by transitioning from the current Operations Support Systems (OSS) to the more advanced and high capacity Ericsson Network Manager (ENM). Ericsson Cloud Packet Core and Ericsson Network Functions Virtualisation Infrastructure (NFVI) will also be introduced by Ethio Telecom as part of the modernisation effort.
The demand for fast and reliable 4G networks is growing exponentially across the world, owing to which Ethiopia’s telecom operator decided to expand their 4G infrastructure, making it more robust and far-reaching. Ericsson’s Mobility Report recently revealed that 4G subscriptions increased multifold by approximately 100 million worldwide during the first quarter of 2021.
Ethio Telecom Committed to Bring Enhanced Data Services
Ethio Telecom has been committed to modernise its network and bring enhanced data services to its customers. The 4G expansion project backs the company’s commitment to its customers. Ethio Telecom’s CEO, Frehiwot Tamru, has stated that they are excited about their collaboration with Ericsson to expand their 4G/LTE Advanced service. He further added that this would bring high-speed internet to the South West Region that will become vital for achieving Ethiopia’s digitalisation ambitions while improving the reach of their mobile money service called Telebirr.
Ericsson South and East Africa’s Head and Vice President, Todd Ashton, has also commented on the partnership by saying that Ericsson and Ethio Telecom’s partnership dates back to 1894. He added that nearly 130 years later, the two companies have jointly rolled out one of the most stunning 5G ready networks in the region.
