Ericsson announced that it has extended its partnership with Kenyan telco Safaricom with a multi-year microwave deal aimed at fortifying Safaricom’s 5G capacity in the country.
Under the deal, Ericsson will provide Safaricom with all-outdoor E-band and all-outdoor multi-band products and services from its MINI-LINK portfolio. As part of the deal, Ericsson will also enable AI-powered analytics and automation in Safaricom’s network in the near future to enable intelligent decision-making.
Safaricom said it has enabled connectivity speeds of up to 1 Gbps in remote regions of North Kenya using Ericsson’s transport technology for high-capacity long-distance communications beyond 100 km.
We are making great strides in expanding the benefits of 5G to Kenya’s consumers and businesses,” said Gerishon Gitonga Kithinji, Safaricom’s Head of Network Planning and Design. “Our new microwave deal will support us to deliver the high-performance 5G services in the country and will enhance customer satisfaction.
Alain Maupin, Vice President and Head of Ericsson East and North Africa, at Ericsson EMEA, said:
At Ericsson, we are committed to fostering a more connected, inclusive, and sustainable digital future for Africa in line with our #AfricaInMotion vision. 5G transport connects all nodes in the radio access network with the core and becomes the backbone of the 5G mobile network. With Safaricom rolling out 5G steadily, the transport network is crucial for delivering on the 5G promise and we are proud to have Safaricom’s trust to provide world-class, reliable, and future-ready transport solutions across Kenya.
Ericsson and Safaricom signed an agreement in 2021 to deploy Ericsson’s MINI-LINK 6352 to provide multi-Gbps backhaul capacity for mobile broadband nationwide coverage in Kenya.
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