Zain Nigeria has also entered into a 5-year outsourcing agreement with Ericsson, a leading provider of telecom services to operators. As part of the agreement, Ericsson will be responsible for managing most of the network and field operations for Zain’s wireless networks and operational support systems, serving almost 4,000 sites across Nigeria.

This is a unique deal for Zain and a major initiative within its ACE strategy that will propel Zain into the world’s top-ten mobile telecommunications company by the end of the year 2011.

The deal also gives Ericsson its first major managed services opportunity in Africa, in particular Nigeria, reflecting the increased attention of both companies on markets where high customer growth is expected within the next five years.

CEO of Zain Africa Chris Gabriel said he is confident that the outsourcing agreement will have many benefits for the company and its customers. He said: “Choosing Ericsson, which has more than 15 years’ experience in managing outsourced networks to help operate our network in Nigeria fits perfectly with our ‘Drive11’ business objectives of improving efficiency and the quality of our networks and operations.”

“As a result, we will be in a far stronger position to dedicate resources and assets to our core business operations, continuing to improve customer support, developing and launching new products, services and mobile applications, and delivering on our Zain brand promise of ‘A wonderful world’,” he added.

Zain’s agreement with Ericsson will improve network efficiency, make the most of Zain’s network investment and reduce operating costs for approximately 4,000 sites across Nigeria. It will further strengthen Zain’s competitiveness by achieving savings in network operations, a shorter time-to-market for new services and technologies, and improve the overall quality of service.