Bharti Airtel Lanka inks $150-m deal with Huawei

NEW DELHI: Bharti Airtel Lanka Pvt Ltd, a subsidiary of Bharti Airtel Ltd, today announced that it has signed a managed networks deal for its Sri Lanka operations with Huawei Technologies Co. Ltd.

The three-year deal is valued at approximately $150 million and includes telecom applications and software. With the network deal in place, customers in Sri Lanka can look forward to a host of innovative products and services at an affordable price from Airtel’s vast portfolio, Bharti Airtel said in a statement.

According to the agreement, Huawei would deploy and manage Airtel’s core network, Node-Bs and BTSs, and comprehensive end-to-end 2G/3G network solutions.

The custom-built technology from Huawei is expected to reduce Bharti Airtel’s total cost of ownership (TCO), as well as enhance its competitive edge. Specifically, Huawei‘s Distributed Node B will enable Bharti to deploy the network faster and more cost-effectively.

Sanjay Nandrajog, executive director, International Operations and Managed Services, Bharti Airtel, said: "Bharti Airtel is committed to creating a state-of-the-art mobile network and offering affordable 2G and 3G services to customers in Sri Lanka. We are delighted to be partnering Huawei in this endeavour of ours."