Ericsson has become a member of a consortium led by operator Zain Kuwait. The consortium will carry out a large digital transformation project for local utilities. The project will be completed by 2024 and as the sole technology partner, Ericsson will deploy a new smart metering solution.
The Enterprise and Cloud Billing solution implemented by the consortium will make it easier for the Ministry of Electricity and Water to collect revenue and distribute energy consumption over time. It will also improve the accuracy of invoices and give customers access to real-time information about usage. Around 800,000 new smart meters for electricity and water will be connected over Zain's upgraded infrastructure.
Furthermore, the cross-industry Ericsson Multiservice Delivery Platform will help digitalize channels for consumer interaction, offering personalized and user-friendly services for all types of devices through self-service portals. Additional Ericsson solutions will provide important features for areas such as customer care, post- and prepaid services, performance management, event planning, and analysis of network data.
"We have worked closely together with Zain Kuwait from the start of this digital transformation initiative, and we have made a long-term commitment to enable new revenue streams," said Wojciech Bajda, Head of Customer Unit Zain, Ericsson. "We really look forward to being part of this project and to help develop the smart city infrastructure."
Ericsson will also provide a range of Managed Services for improved network operations and security, and for Internet of Things applications.
