Orascom Telecom has inked a five-year agreement with Huawei and Alcatel-Lucent to provide for the design, purchase, deployment and maintenance of next-generation mobile network equipment and supporting services at its Pakistani mobile operator Mobilink. The deal is expected to enhance data and voice services and pave the way for introducing 3G services as soon as these are licensed in Pakistan. In addition to better network performance, Mobilink also expects that the improved capabilities of the latest generation of equipment from Huawei and Alcatel-Lucent will allow the company to significantly increase network efficiency and reduce operating costs. Huawei was awarded 50 percent of the radio network and 100 percent of the core and value-added services networks, while Alcatel-Lucent was awarded the other 50 percent of the radio access network.
