Mobilicity awards network management contract to Ericsson

Canadian start-up cellco Mobilicity (formerly DAVE Wireless) has chosen Swedish technology provider Ericsson to manage its new 3G network under a five-year contract. The network outsourcing deal, Ericsson’s first in Canada, is designed to allow Mobilicity to focus on marketing, leaving day-to-day operations to Ericsson. Mobilicity previously selected Ericsson to design and build its 3G network, and plans to launch commercial mobile services in Toronto this spring, followed by expansion to Vancouver, Calgary, Edmonton and Ottawa. Ericsson will be responsible for front-and-back-office operations as well as field maintenance in Mobilicity’s urban network. The new cellco holds licences covering ten of Canada’s largest urban markets and more than half of the country’s population. Its financial backers are Obelysk, a diversified Canadian holding company, and Quadrangle Capital Partners, a global investor in the telecoms and media sectors.