Hossam Kandeel.

Last week Ericsson announced it had appointed Hossam Kandeel as Vice President and Head of Global Customer Unit MTN and Customer Unit MTN Africa effective 21 July 2022.

Ericsson said this is more than an update on an account management position, but shows its commitment to having the right talent to lead efforts in driving digital development in Africa – and specifically MTN’s Ambition 2025 strategy.

Kandeel has been with Ericsson for nearly two decades and has held leadership positions across various practices including government and industry relations, strategy and marketing, business solutions, sales, and operational excellence.

He served as the Key Account Manager and Country Manager of Ericsson Angola under Customer Unit West Africa and Morocco, prior to his appointment as Head of Global Customer Unit MTN and Customer Unit MTN Africa within MEA market.

Kandeel said, “I am thrilled to take on this new role and I look forward to leveraging my industry wide expertise to build high performing teams that grow Ericsson’s regional business and deliver value to our partner MTN and their Ambition 2025 strategy. I am committed to finding new ways that add value to the services and solutions we provide our partners and innovate our client offerings to support the ongoing digital transformation momentum in the region.”

He has served in different capacities and locations including Egypt, Sweden, and the Middle East.

Companies’ collaboration

Ericsson added that it has collaborated with MTN on a range of digital development initiatives from network upgrades to sustainability.

In a response to ITWeb Africa, the company stated: “In South Africa for example, we have supported MTN in bringing commercial 5G to the cities of Bloemfontein and Port Elizabeth. In Rwanda, the deployment of our Network Operations Centre (NOC) is presently enhancing MTN Rwanda’s operations through data analytics, business processes, and IT automation.”

“Moreover, coming to the west of the continent, we have been collaborating with MTN Benin on a managed service capacity, introducing network managed services with a focus on artificial intelligence (AI), automation, and analytics. The efficiency benefits provided by these AI and automation capabilities have allowed MTN Benin to run predictive operations that are enabling a shift from reactive to proactive IT and network management – boosting customers' experiences, as well as network quality and performance.”