(18 September 2007 7:30 pm)

MUMBAI:Bharti Airtel Lanka Private Limited announced a deal with Huawei Technologies Co. Ltd, a telecommunications network solutions provider for its customers in Sri Lanka.

With the network deal in place, customers in Sri Lanka can look forward to a host of innovative products and services from Airtel's portfolio.

According to an official statement, the three-year deal is valued at approximately $ 150 million and includes telecom applications and software.

The latest custom-built technology from Huawei is expected to reduce Bharti Airtel's total cost of ownership (TCO). Huawei's Distributed Node B will enable Bharti to deploy the network faster and more cost-effectively.

"Bharti Airtel is committed to creating a state-of-the-art mobile network and offering world-class and affordable 2G and 3G services to customers in Sri Lanka. Huawei has established credentials as a global company producing high quality products and solutions. We are delighted to be partnering Huawei in this endeavour of ours, " said Bharti Airtel executive director international operations and managed services Sanjay Nandrajog.

Bharti Airtel was recently awarded the license to provide 2G and 3G mobile services in Sri Lanka. Under the agreement, Huawei will deploy and manage Airtel's core network, Node-Bs and BTSs and comprehensive end-to-end 2G/3G network solutions.

Huawei India CEO Max Yang said, "We are extremely proud and happy to partner with Bharti Airtel who pioneered the telecom revolution in India and continues to contribute immensely to the remarkable growth of the telecom sector. We look forward to continuing this strategic partnership with Bharti Airtel by providing innovative and customer-oriented solutions and services including wireless solutions."