Case Study: IPKO achieves record-time GSM network launch with Ericsson

Overcoming challenges for fastest ever implementation of GSM network

IPKO, Kosovo’s first internet service provider, needed to launch a complete GSM network from scratch under tight time constraints in a challenging market marked by conflict recovery, high unemployment, and low mobile penetration. The company selected Ericsson to supply and install the equipment, along with managed services, to help deliver reliable and affordable mobile telephony to the public.

Ericsson implemented the full GSM network, including mobile backhaul with microwave and optical products managed through a common system, and completed field work in just three months. The network went live only nine months after the license was signed, helped raise market penetration from 25–30% to 40%, cut prices by 40–50%, and attracted 100,000 customers in the first two months, growing to around 350,000 customers as expansion continued.

IPKO

Jaroslav Sefc

CTO