Ericsson gets $48.5M contract in Ethiopia

STOCKHOLM, Mar 16, 2005 (Dow Jones) — Swedish telecommunications equipment maker Telefon AB L.M. Ericsson (ERICY) Wednesday said it has signed a contract worth about $48.5 million with Ethiopian Telecommunications Corp. to provide GSM Expander solution in Ethiopia .

The company said the solution will increase operator’s coverage and capacity of the existing network in Addis Ababa and other regions of the country.

Ericsson will deliver increased efficiency and network capacity meeting the market needs of cost-efficient coverage in new areas. The Ericsson Expander solutions are key components of the agreement, it said.

Ericsson will provide comprehensive and tailor-made telecommunication services to enhance the communication quality of ETC’s existing network.

The expansion project will be completed by mid 2005.

Ericsson Expander is a complete mobile solution that enables operators to cost efficiently expand their business into new geographical areas to target new subscribers groups. The focus is on low cost of ownership, high quality performance and scalable coverage and capacity.