Ericsson and Safaricom strengthen partnership with microwave deal

Ericsson (NASDAQ: ERIC) has extended its partnership with Safaricom in Kenya with a multi-year microwave deal aimed at providing highly reliable 5G capacity in the country.

As part of the deal, Ericsson will provide advanced all-outdoor E-band and all-outdoor multi-band products and services from its future-proof, scalable, and energy-efficient MINI-LINK  portfolio. In the near future, Ericsson will also enable Artificial Intelligence (AI)-powered analytics and automation to Safaricom’s network for intelligent decision-making.

Supporting efforts to bridge the digital divide, Safaricom has enabled connectivity speeds of up to 1 Gigabits per second (Gbps) in remote regions of North Kenya by leveraging Ericsson’s advanced transport technology for high-capacity long-distance communications beyond 100 km.

Gerishon Gitonga Kithinji, Head of Network Planning & Design, at Safaricom, says: In collaboration with our partners, sas Ericsson, we are making great strides in expanding the benefits of 5G to Kenya’s consumers and businesses. Our new microwave deal will support us to deliver the high-performance 5G services in the country and will enhance customer satisfaction.”

Alain Maupin, Vice President and Head of Ericsson East and North Africa, at Ericsson Europe, Middle East and Africa, says: “At Ericsson, we are committed to fostering a more connected, inclusive and sustainable digital future for Africa in line with our #AfricaInMotion vision. 5G transport connects all nodes in the radio access network with the core and becomes the backbone of the 5G mobile network. With Safaricom rolling out 5G steadily, the transport network is crucial for delivering on the 5G promise and we are proud to have Safaricom’s trust to provide world-class, reliable, and future-ready transport solutions across Kenya.”  

According to the 2024 Ericsson Microwave Outlook report, microwave and millimeter-wave spectrums are key assets for the wireless backhaul of 5G and beyond, with around 10 million transceivers installed around the world.  Microwave links using traditional frequency bands have been a cornerstone of network infrastructure in Africa. With Kenya witnessing a massive uptick in data consumption among mobile broadband subscribers, the need for increased microwave link capacity has become more critical than ever.

Ericsson and Safaricom have enjoyed a long-standing strategic partnership. In 2021, the two companies entered an agreement to deploy MINI-LINK 6352 with the aim of achieving multi-Gbps backhaul capacity for mobile broadband nationwide coverage in Kenya.