Nigeria recently granted EWN (Econet Wireless Nigeria), Nitel and MTN the country’s first licenses for mobile telephony. Ericsson will install turnkey GSM 900 and 1800 networks including switching, radio base stations, new service features, pre-paid and civil works for all three.
The contracts mark several firsts: they are breakthrough orders for Ericsson, which has not had business in Nigeria before; and it’s Nigeria’s entrance into GSM technology and mobile telephony. Though order values cannot be given, the contracts span a five-year period.
Network deployment has already started and the first parts will be operational already in August this year.
With a 125 million inhabitants and an expected 5 -10 million subscribers in the next five years, Nigeria is potentially the largest market in Africa and constitutes a significant percentage of the continent’s telecom business.
SOURCE: COMPANY PRESS RELEASE
