Airtel Africa has contracted Ericsson (NASDAQ: ERIC) to relocate and modernise their existing network and core services to a new data centre in the Seychelles.

Featuring a blend of legacy and virtualised network functions, the partnership will provide Airtel Africa with a new hybrid network cloud environment.

The hybrid network cloud environment will increase network and cost efficiency, reduce time to deploy applications, and enable developers to innovate and bring new applications to Airtel Africa subscribers quicker, the firm said.

As Voice over Long-Term Evolution (VoLTE) becomes the new standard for calling throughout the world it becomes necessary for service providers to have efficient infrastructure capable of providing VoLTE services.

The virtualisation and cloud-based evolution of the Airtel Africa network will prepare the service provider for VoLTE and 5G network infrastructure in the near future. 

Dina Amadou, Chief Executive Officer of Airtel Seychelles said: “Our newest partnership with Ericsson to modernise and relocate our network and core services to a new data centre in Seychelles brings us one step closer to our ambition to build a world-class network.

“The data centre will drive innovation and enhance our core services to help us develop the efficient infrastructure for the introduction of VoLTE and 5G services in the near future.”

Todd Ashton, Vice President and Head of Ericsson South & East Africa says: “Partnering with Airtel Africa in modernizing their network and relocating to the data centre has supported them to meet the rapidly evolving demands of consumers and keep them prepared for the deployment of innovative services around VoLTE and 5G. 

“We have a long-standing partnership with Airtel Africa that led to multiple achievements in growing and developing the telecommunications network in the region, setting #AfricaInMotion, and we are committed to providing solutions across the region to meet today’s and tomorrow’s communication service needs. With 5G, the opportunities are endless from manufacturing to e-health solutions, only the sky is the limit.”