Motorola, which has about 1,000 people working at it’s Groundwell site in Swindon, has won a major contract to upgrade, extend and manage Vodafone’s nationwide GSM network in Turkey.

Under the eight-year contract, Motorola will modernise and upgrade Vodafone’s radio access network to increase coverage and capacity. In addition, Motorola will assume responsibility for operational management of the network.

As part of the access network modernisation program, Motorola also will ensure the 3G readiness of key sites.

In addition to the benefits of enhanced network quality and performance, the agreement is expected to improve Vodafone’s network operating costs and provide it with greater predictability of related expenses.

“Motorola is proud and excited to have been chosen by Vodafone to play a major role in its operations in Turkey over the next eight years,” said Jose Figueroa, corporate vice president and general manager, Motorola Networks & Enterprise EMEA.

“The announcement clearly demonstrates Motorola’s commitment to GSM and our ability to deliver innovative, managed services that will help secure long-term cost efficiencies for Vodafone.

“As part of Vodafone Group’s strategy, Vodafone remains committed to delivering greater value to our shareholders by securing greater cost efficiencies in new and innovative ways. At the same time, we constantly strive to enhance our customers’ mobile experience,” said Attila Vitai, CEO of Vodafone Turkey.

“We are confident that this agreement with Motorola will deliver on both of these important goals to the benefit of our customers in Turkey, and we look forward to working with Motorola in a long and productive partnership.”