Ericsson seals exclusivity deal with 3 Italia

Swedish equipment supplier Ericsson has signed an agreement with 3 Italia to exclusively provide the cellco with network and system upgrades for the next seven years. Under the network transformation contract, Ericsson will modernise and upgrade the existing W-CDMA/HSPA core networks and consumer-services platforms and systems. Vincenzo Novari, 3 Italia’s CEO says, ‘We are pleased with the successful cooperation with Ericsson. This agreement has been and will remain a reference in innovation and network development for the Italian market. With this agreement, we take a new step in meeting the demand for mobile broadband connectivity and services by Italian consumers and enterprises and make our network even more efficient in handling data traffic and ensuring a better quality of experience to our customers.’ The deal also extends the exclusive managed services contract signed in 2005 for the total management of 3 Italia’s multi-vendor 3G network and telecoms IS&IT infrastructure.