Econet Wireless partners with Ericsson in Zimbabwe

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Zimbabwean operator Econet Wireless has partnered with Ericsson for Econet's Core network upgrade program which will simplify and upgrade the existing 2G/3G/4G/LTE networks, future proofing it for the rapid mobile expansion in the country.

Building on the companies' existing long-term partnership, the new scope will rationalise and upgrade the Core network as well as introduce the latest Ericsson network architecture.

The agreement includes a complete multi-access Evolved Packet Core with Evolved Packet Gateway on SSR 8020, SGSN-MME and Service-Aware Policy Controller as well as Mobile Switching Center and Media Gateway. It also includes close integration between policy and charging functions, which will enable Econet to reduce time-to-market for new offerings and increased personalisation capabilities.

In the Harare area, which currently carries more than half of all traffic on the network, the project will also upgrade the radio access network (RAN) to include Ericsson's multi-standard RBS 6000 family of base stations for macro and small cell networks.

Pieter Goosen, Country Manager for Ericsson Zimbabwe, says: "Econet is the market leader in Zimbabwe and this project will give it one of the most advanced Core networks on the continent, providing it far more capacity to manage and scale its network."