H3G Italy farms out network to Ericsson

摘要

H3G Italy announced last month that it would save around ?250 m over five years by outsourcing the management of its 3G network to Ericsson. For its part, Ericsson says it's the biggest 'managed services' deal it has signed with an operator to date, although it did not disclose the value of the contract. At first glance, the margins look as though they'll be slim as the agreement involves the transfer of 750 employees from H3G Italy onto Ericsson's payroll. "The deal [with H3G Italy] is a very aggressive move by Ericsson to win market share," comments Johan Hall-berg, a senior analyst with Ovum. "Its value would seem to lie more in strategic positioning [to build up economies of scale to serve future contracts with other operators] rather than real financial gain."