Info Image

Sprint, Ericsson Kick-Off Next Phase of Managed Services Deal to Further Cut Costs

Sprint, Ericsson Kick-Off Next Phase of Managed Services Deal to Further Cut Costs Image Credit: The Fast Mode

Sprint announced that it has renewed portions of the companies' seven year managed services deal with Ericsson that is expiring in September, making the Swedish telecom vendor a key business partner for day-to-day management of Sprint's wireline and wireless networks.

The earlier deal worth approximately $5 billion, which was signed in 2009, saw Sprint transfering about 6,000 of its workers to work for the newly formed Ericsson Services. Ericsson created the new subsidiary to handle Sprint's project and its future North American contracts.

As part of the new relationship, Ericsson will return some of these employees to Sprint. Ericsson will provide some multi-vendor services that support the ongoing operations, development and transformation of Sprint's networks. The overall Network Service Assurance management of the network will be performed by Sprint.

Dr. John Saw, Sprint CTO, in a blog post wrote that, "We’ve been clear that we’re going to do things differently at Sprint. And we have very aggressive goals to lower costs while at the same time improving our network and executing our densification and optimization strategy. With our diverse toolkit of innovative cell site solutions and our deep spectrum holdings, we’re very confident in our ability to drive network improvements while reducing costs."

Roger O'Hargan, Head of Network Services, Ericsson North America
We are very proud of the work Ericsson has done to help Sprint achieve its business objectives over the past seven years. We look forward to continuing our partnership and helping Sprint deliver enhanced operational performance and achieve the cost advantages that can come through our managed services offerings.

Dr. John Saw, Sprint Chief Technology Officer
Sprint's network is performing at best-ever levels, and we are proud of the progress we have made with Ericsson over the last seven years. Ericsson remains a valued strategic partner in supporting the Sprint network. 

Author

Ray is a news editor at The Fast Mode, bringing with him more than 10 years of experience in the wireless industry.

For tips and feedback, email Ray at ray.sharma(at)thefastmode.com, or reach him on LinkedIn @raysharma10, Facebook @1RaySharma

PREVIOUS POST

XL Axiata Selects Ericsson Radio Dot Small Cell Solution to Boost Indoor 4G/3G Coverage

NEXT POST

Singapore's StarHub First in Southeast Asia to Triple 4G Upload Speeds