Swedish technology giant Ericsson has signed a five-year Managed Rural Coverage agreement with cellco MTN Benin, to bring mobile coverage to parts of central and northern Benin where there was none previously. The vendor’s press release says that its new Managed Rural Coverage business model represents a cost-competitive solution whereby Ericsson enables operators to provide mobile coverage for a set period according to service level agreements and defined key performance indicators.
Under the terms of this contract, access will be provided via low-power consumption Ericsson radio base stations running on solar energy to avoid the high costs and emissions associated with diesel generators. Furthermore, transmission will be provided via satellite to avoid the high costs and civil works associated with building a microwave backhaul network in remote villages, supporting a viable business model to provide mobile coverage to parts of Benin where many people live on less than USD2 per day.
Benin,Ericsson, MTN Benin (formerly Areeba), Wireless
