Ericsson has been selected by Qatar’s Communications Regulatory Authority (CRA) to provide the required solution and services to support the implementation and the management of the new telecommunication ducts infrastructure in the country in line with an agreement that was signed recently.
The main scope of the partnership is to implement Ericsson Network Engineer Solution and to provide the related services to the CRA, Ericsson said in a release yesterday.
Established as the independent regulatory body in 2014, CRA regulates the communications sector, postal services, and access to digital media.
The CRA encourages and supports an open and competitive communications sector that brings advanced, innovative, and quality services to consumers while, protecting their rights, and providing them access to digital media.
Patrik Melander, vice president and head (Ericsson GCC & Pakistan) said: “Through this partnership, we are spurring an increasingly networked society in Qatar as we expand our services to support the needs of Industry and Society customers. This deal marks a key milestone in our partnership with CRA Qatar”
With the CRA managing this initiative, Qatar is preparing for the future telecommunications networks expansion by constructing the required ducts infrastructure under public roads.  
By using the Ericsson Network Engineer, the regulator has a GIS-based mapping tool that supports keeping records of the new telecommunication duct infrastructure which will be established as a result of co-operation between the Ministry of Information and Communication Technology (MICT), the CRA and the Public Works Authority (Ashghal).  
As a result, field access to the data is easily managed through the web client and is specifically designed for the needs of the field workers.
Ericsson Network Engineer is a scalable network management system that uses geospatial technology to help efficiently plan, design, maintain and document telecommunications infrastructure. Ongoing changes to both inside and outside plant facilities can be comprehensively managed so moving pieces can be accurately tracked, from cables and ducts to racks and cards.