Ericsson has entered into a partnership with MTN, a leading telecommunications company with a presence in 21 countries in Africa and the Middle East for e extension of its managed services agreement with Ericsson for its Ghana operations.

With 49% market share, MTN is the premier operator in Ghana which is one of Africa's fastest growing markets. In 2011, it grew by around 18% in the country to serve over 10 million subscribers.

The partnership is the extension of the first managed services contract between Ericsson and MTN, originally signed in 2009 in connection to the rollout of MTN's 3G network in Ghana. Under the extension, Ericsson is responsible for network operations, field maintenance and optimization.

Jon Hoffmann, Chief Technical officer, MTN Ghana said, "Our first two years together achieved the results we were hoping for: we could focus on subscriber growth, and Ericsson delivered network reliability and efficiencies."

MTN will retain full ownership of the network and responsibility for its strategic direction, while Ericsson will manage the network operations, optimization and field maintenance for MTN's 3G sites.

"MTN and Ericsson collaborate in many areas across this and other regions for several years now and in Ghana we are especially pleased to have been part of the journey towards 10 million subscribers," says Valter D`Avino, Head of Managed Services Ericsson. "With Ericsson continuing to run the operations of the network, MTN will be able to dedicate even more time and focus on delivering innovative products and services relevant to the needs of their customers."

Globally Ericsson has signed more than 300 managed services contracts in more than 100 countries and Ericsson manages networks on behalf of operators that serve over 850 million subscribers worldwide.