Jordan Telecom Group, which operates under majority owner France Telecom’s Orange brand, has signed a deal with Ericsson to expand its 3.5G network in Jordan. The Swedish vendor will expand the coverage and capacity of the telco’s existing HSPA+ network beyond its current reach of around 50% of the population. With this most recent deal, Ericsson and Orange continue a long history of cooperation in Jordan: Ericsson was selected to deploy the initial GSM network in 1999, as well as subsequent upgrades to the company’s infrastructure in 2004 and 2005 and Jordan’s first 3G network in 2010. Orange was the first cellco in the country to launch mobile data services, and has capitalised on its early advantage; according to TeleGeography’s GlobalComms Database, Jordan Telecom Group had 400,000 3G subscribers at the end of June 2011, compared to 105,000 signed up to its rival, Zain Jordan.
Nayla Khawam, CEO of Orange Jordan commented on the agreement ‘We are glad to be partnering with Ericsson once again to expand our 3G network in the Kingdom. Ericsson was one of our key success factors for the 3G services launch. I am sure that with this latest expansion and through our partnership with Ericsson we will be able to achieve further success together to maintain the highest quality for voice and data access for our customers.’