NAIROBI: Bharti Airtel last week announced it was inking an agreement with Nokia Siemens Network (NSN) to expand 2G networks and roll-out 3G networks in 7 African countries. The move will boost the companies' efforts in the continent as it pushes for new investments. Neither company disclosed the worth of the deal. The new deal will look to manage networks, planning, design and implementation of both the 2G and 3G networks for Airtel, India's Bharti Airtel said in a statement published on Thursday. NSN will roll out networks in Madagascar, Malawi, Zambia, Tanzania, Kenya, Uganda and CongoBrazzaville. “We believe Nokia Siemens Networks' global expertise in managed services and compact energy-efficient network equipment are a perfect fit to our long-term goal to be the leading telecommunications provider on the African continent. “This partnership will further enable us to rapidly expand our network coverage and provide high-speed wireless internet connectivity to our customers,” Bharti Airtel CEO(International) and Joint Managing Director Manoj Kohli said. Analysts in Kenya believe the new deal will help boost an already growing IT industry, which has witnessed massive growth in recent years. William Ambolan, an analyst in Nairobi, said that the move will help increase infrastructure as well as push new technologies forward into the mainstream. “We have long talked about boosting IT output and technology in Africa and this new deal will see that become a reality,” he said, adding that “it will help operators offer more services to customers.” BM
