Ericsson is to run all of Bharti Airtel’s nationwide network services in India from a single central network operations centre (NOC) in India, as part of a new multi-year managed services deal. The arrangement covers centralised intent-based AI/ML-driven automation of Airtel’s national 4G and 5G network services, including on both its non-standalone and standalone 5G (5G NSA and SA) infrastructure, as well as for specialised Fixed Wireless Access (FWA), network slicing, and private 4G/5G solutions.
Ericsson said in a statement it will “manage Airtel’s pan-India network through its state-of-the-art NOC while scaling FWA and network slicing across the country”. The pair are close allies, already. They announced a deal in February to deploy 5G core network solutions together, as part of the Indian firm’s transition to a full national 5G SA setup. They have traded for 25 years, said a statement, through multiple generations of mobile tech. In March, they announced a joint-collaboration with Volvo Group to sell 5G-based AI and AR/VR gear to enterprises in India.
Telcos are outsourcing operations to trusted vendors to reduce costs, and adopt AI/automation at scale. Ericsson, like Nokia and Huawei, is pushing ‘intent-based’ NOC capabilities as a way to align telco networks with enterprise grade service delivery. The new deal is for a single centralised NOC to manage all of the telco’s networks and services nationwide – for greater efficiency and automation, and better proactive service assurance. It also signals a strategic pivot to more advanced 5G services like FWA, and specially private hybrid and sliced 5G networks.
Bharti Airtel said it wants to create a “future-ready network” and “an exceptional experience for customers”. Randeep Sekhon, chief technology officer, said: “These innovative technologies will empower us to meet the growing data demands of consumers in a digitally connected India.” Meanwhile, Ericsson called it a “milestone agreement”. Andres Vicente, leading its activities in the region, said: “Intent-based NOC operations will enable Airtel to unlock wider service diversification to meet customer needs, thereby enabling new revenue opportunities for Airtel.”
