Zain Iraq and Ericsson have announced an extension of their managed services deal, which would otherwise have ended in 2016, for three additional years to the end of 2019.

The partnership was initially forged in 2011 as part of Zain Iraq’s ambition to deliver a differentiated mobile experience and a high-quality network.

Under the agreement, Ericsson is tasked with optimizing and managing Zain Iraq’s IT operations and mobile network, which currently consists of more than 4,000 sites across the country.

Both companies also entered into a network transformation agreement to upgrade Zain Iraq’s network from 2G to 3G, thereby providing users with better coverage, higher connection speeds and increased voice quality. Zain Iraq’s 3G network became operational in January.

Zain customers will reap many benefits from the deal, such as high and faster data capacity resulting in an enhanced user experience, with high quality service maintained.

Dr Haidar Radi, chief technology officer & deputy CEO of Zain Iraq, said: “Zain Iraq has long placed customer satisfaction at the core of our brand ethos. Our renewed collaboration with Ericsson will help further our mission to deliver an exceptional, hassle-free customer experience. Our network with the support of Ericsson promises to meet our customers’ hefty data requirements and maintain the highest standards of service excellence.”

Rafiah Ibrahim, head of Region Middle East and North East Africa Ericsson, said: “This renewed collaboration is a testimony of the trust and high performance that Ericsson has delivered to Zain Iraq through the years in managed services across the North Middle East region. We are pleased to once more collaborate with Zain in the transformation of their network, which will further enhance Zain’s services capabilities, customer perception as well as realizing Ericsson’s Networked Society vision in Iraq.” – TradeArabia News Service