Smile Communications selects Ericsson for 4G/LTE managed services across all operations

• Ericsson to manage operations and maintenance for Smile Communications in Nigeria, Tanzania, Uganda and Democratic Republic of Congo
• Five-year contract includes network operation, network performance and optimization, field services, and spare parts management
• Agreement enables Smile to focus on continued provision of superior customer experience

Under the terms of a five-year multi-country managed services agreement, Ericsson (NASDAQ: ERIC) will manage Smile Communications' 4G/LTE networks across all operations. This is the first 4G/LTE managed services contract signed in Sub-Saharan Africa.

Ericsson will provide a fully managed end-to-end service that includes network operations, performance, optimization, field support and maintenance for Smile's LTE networks in Tanzania, Uganda, Nigeria and - later - in the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC).

Tom Allen, Group COO of Smile Communications says: "We regard Ericsson as more than a vendor, we are long term partners focused on delivering on the Smile promise to be the broadband provider of choice in Africa and to ensure that our customers fully benefit from the internet world."

This managed services contract extends Ericsson's relationship with Smile in Nigeria, where Ericsson is Smile's sole vendor for 4G networks. The agreement also leverages Ericsson's more than 15 years of experience in managing multi-vendor, multi-technology networks in Tanzania, Uganda and the DRC.

Fredrik Jejdling, President Ericsson sub-Saharan Africa says: "We are excited to be delivering this service to Smile as it further extends our partnership with the operator in the region. Bringing with us our expertise as global HSPA and LTE leaders, this partnership enables Smile Communications to focus even more on the core business of delivering superior products and services that cater to the needs of its subscribers, whilst at the same time improving operational efficiency."

Ericsson is the global leader in telecommunications managed services, managing networks for multiple operators worldwide via a combination of global and local network operations centers. Ericsson employs 66,000 services professionals in 180 countries, and provides managed services for networks that serve more than 1 billion subscribers. In addition, Ericsson is present today in all high-traffic LTE markets including US, Japan, and South Korea, and is ranked first for handling the most global LTE traffic. Forty percent of the world's mobile traffic is carried over Ericsson networks.

NOTES TO EDITORS

Managed Services press backgrounder

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Our services, software and infrastructure - especially in mobility, broadband and the cloud - are enabling the telecom industry and other sectors to do better business, increase efficiency, improve the user experience and capture new opportunities.

With approximately 115,000 professionals and customers in 180 countries, we combine global scale with technology and services leadership. We support networks that connect more than 2.5 billion subscribers. Forty percent of the world's mobile traffic is carried over Ericsson networks. And our investments in research and development ensure that our solutions - and our customers - stay in front.

Founded in 1876, Ericsson has its headquarters in Stockholm, Sweden. Net sales in 2014 were SEK 228.0 billion (USD 33.1 billion). Ericsson is listed on NASDAQ OMX stock exchange in Stockholm and the NASDAQ in New York.

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