To be built with a combination of legacy and virtualised network functions, the project will give Airtel Africa a new hybrid network cloud environment, delivering significant efficacy gains.
“Our newest partnership with Ericsson to modernise and relocate our network and core services to a new data centre in Seychelles brings us one step closer to our ambition to build a world-class network," said Dina Amadou (pictured above left), chief executive officer of Airtel Seychelles.
"The data centre will drive innovation and enhance our core services to help us develop the efficient infrastructure for the introduction of voice over long-term evolution (VoLTE) and 5G services in the near future.”
Once completed, the hybrid network cloud environment will increase network and cost efficiency, by reducing deployment times for applications, and enable developers to innovate and rapidly bring new applications to Airtel Africa subscribers.
As VoLTE becomes the new global standard for calling, it becomes necessary for service providers to have efficient infrastructure capable of providing VoLTE services. The virtualisation and cloud-based evolution of the Airtel Africa network will prepare the service provider for VoLTE and 5G network infrastructure in the future.
“Partnering with Airtel Africa in modernizing their network and relocating to the data centre has supported them to meet the rapidly evolving demands of consumers and keep them prepared for the deployment of innovative services around VoLTE and 5G," said Todd Ashton (pictured above right), vice president and head of Ericsson South & East Africa.
"We have a long-standing partnership with Airtel Africa that led to multiple achievements in growing and developing the telecommunications network in the region, setting #AfricaInMotion, and we are committed to providing solutions across the region to meet today’s and tomorrow’s communication service needs. With 5G, the opportunities are endless from manufacturing to e-health solutions, only the sky is the limit.”
