Sheikh Dina Amadou (left) and Todd Ashton (right).

Airtel Africa has awarded Ericsson a turnkey project to relocate and modernise their existing network and core services to a new datacentre in the Seychelles.

Airtel says the partnership will empower it with a blend of legacy and virtualised network functions, and a new hybrid network cloud environment, “bringing significant efficacy gains.”

The hybrid network cloud environment will increase network and cost efficiency, reduce time to deploy applications, and enable developers to innovate and bring new applications to Airtel Africa subscribers quicker, the companies claim.

As Voice over Long-Term Evolution (VoLTE) becomes the new standard for calling throughout the world it becomes necessary for service providers to have efficient infrastructure capable of providing VoLTE services. The virtualisation and cloud-based evolution of the Airtel Africa network will prepare the service provider for VoLTE and 5G network infrastructure in the near future.

Sheikh Dina Amadou, CEO of Airtel Seychelles says: “Our newest partnership with Ericsson to modernise and relocate our network and core services to a new datacentre in Seychelles brings us one step closer to our ambition to build a world-class network. The datacentre will drive innovation and enhance our core services to help us develop the efficient infrastructure for the introduction of VoLTE and 5G services in the near future.”

Todd Ashton, Vice President and Head of Ericsson South & East Africa adds: “Partnering with Airtel Africa in modernising their network and relocating to the datacentre has supported them to meet the rapidly evolving demands of consumers and keep them prepared for the deployment of innovative services around VoLTE and 5G. We have a long-standing partnership with Airtel Africa that led to multiple achievements in growing and developing the telecommunications network in the region, setting #AfricaInMotion, and we are committed to providing solutions across the region to meet today’s and tomorrow’s communication service needs. With 5G, the opportunities are endless from manufacturing to e-health solutions, only the sky is the limit.”