Ericsson scores $2B deal from Bharti

It might not be the largest network expansion deal ever, but it's certainly the biggest one Ericsson ever signed: a $2 billion network expansion deal with Indian mobile carrier Bharti Airtel. The deal includes building out the carrier's GSM/EDGE network and providing capacity management. The expansion will allow the carrier to reach some under-served rural areas. The contract is a two-year deal that sees Ericsson responsible for the design, planning, deployment, optimization and management of the GSM network across India.

"Our partnership with Ericsson is testament to this belief as it allows us to focus on delivering a better customer experience, leveraging Ericsson's global expertise to enhance our networks," Bharti Airtel's CEO Manoj Kohli said.

The network upgrade paves the way for an all-IP environment and includes a pan-Indian prepaid platform that allows the carrier to charge differentially for voice and data as well as a location-based services platform.

For more on Ericsson's deal with Bharti:
- read this press release