Airtel inks $150-m deal with Huawei

Bangalore

September 19th, 2007

Bharti Airtel Lanka, a subsidiary of Bharti Airtel Limited, has announced
that it has signed a managed networks deal for its Sri Lanka operations with
Huawei Technologies ("Huawei"). The three-year deal is valued at
approximately $150 million and includes telecom applications and software. With
the network deal in place, customers in Sri Lanka can look forward to a host of
innovative products and services at an affordable price from Airtel's vast
portfolio, Bharti Airtel said in a statement.

According to the agreement, Huawei would deploy and manage Airtel's core
network, Node-Bs and BTSs and comprehensive end-to-end 2G/3G network solutions.

The latest custom-built technology from Huawei is expected to reduce Bharti
Airtel's total cost of ownership (TCO), as well as enhance its competitive edge.
Specifically, Huawei's Distributed Node B will enable Bharti to deploy the
network faster and more cost-effectively.

Sanjay Nandrajog, executive director, International Operations and Managed
Services, Bharti Airtel, said, "Bharti Airtel is committed to creating a
state-of-the-art mobile network and offering affordable 2G and 3G services to
customers in Sri Lanka. We are delighted to be partnering Huawei in this
endeavour of ours. "