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MBNL network consolidation project completed by Ericsson


WEBWIRE

* Ericsson consolidated 12,000 shared sites in MBNL’s UK network
* T-Mobile and Three customers now get far greater 3G coverage
* New business model shows how operators can benefit

Ericsson (NASDAQ:ERIC) today announces the delivery of more than 12,000 consolidated 3G sites for Mobile Broadband Network Ltd (MBNL), bringing more coverage and capacity for Three and T-Mobile UK customers. Thanks to this active network consolidation project, all 3G sites, transmitters, base station equipment and backhaul connected to the operator’s core networks are now fully configured for high speed mobile broadband access.

MBNL is the network joint-venture between Three and Everything Everywhere, the company that runs Orange and T-Mobile in the UK and today’s landmark follows three years of intensive effort and investment by MBNL and its partners.

Alongside the customer benefits, Three and Everything Everywhere will see significant savings and environment benefits because of network sharing. This has included the switching off of more than 5,000 sites - more than 2,000 of which have already been fully decommissioned - as part of a project recognized as the largest and most successful integration of two live networks to have occurred anywhere in the world.

Graham Payne, Managing Director, MBNL said “This was an exciting, challenging and ultimately hugely rewarding project for the team at MBNL. My thanks to all who have worked so hard to deliver this fantastic network, special thanks go to our key partners who are rightly proud of their roles in this project”.

Under the five-year managed service contract announced in February 2009, Ericsson is the primary service provider for the project and was responsible for network design and deployment, building of sites, capacity management, equipment swaps and vital upgrades. Millions of man-hours were committed to improve speeds and coverage for Three and T-Mobile customers. The consolidation work started in February 2009 and was completed in October 2010. This was done while keeping the two networks running smoothly during the project, which also saw Ericsson deliver the all-important cost and efficiency savings.

Magnus Mandersson, Head of Business Unit Global Services, Ericsson, said: “This was an unparalleled and quite complex managed services and systems integration consolidation project. Its success shows the benefits to partners of network sharing and reflects a new business model that the industry can learn a great deal from. All the partners involved in this network sharing project - not least T-Mobile and Three customers - have all emerged as winners. I’m proud of our success and look forward to supporting and advising MBNL as their managed services partner.”


Ericsson is the world’s leading provider of technology and services to telecom operators. Ericsson is the leader in 2G, 3G and 4G mobile technologies, and provides support for networks with over 2 billion subscribers and has the leading position in managed services. The company’s portfolio comprises mobile and fixed network infrastructure, telecom services, software, broadband and multimedia solutions for operators, enterprises and the media industry. The Sony Ericsson and ST-Ericsson joint ventures provide consumers with feature-rich personal mobile devices.

Ericsson is advancing its vision of being the “prime driver in an all-communicating world” through innovation, technology, and sustainable business solutions. Working in 175 countries, more than 80,000 employees generated revenue of SEK 206.5 billion (USD 27.1 billion) in 2009. Founded in 1876 with the headquarters in Stockholm, Sweden, Ericsson is listed on NASDAQ OMX, Stockholm and NASDAQ New York.

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About Ericsson’s Managed Services offering

Ericsson has the telecom industry’s most comprehensive managed services offering. It ranges from designing, building, operating and managing day-to-day operations of a customer’s network, including end-user services and business-support systems, to hosting service-layer solutions and providing network coverage and capacity on demand. As the undisputed leader in managed services, Ericsson has officially announced more than 100 contracts for managed services with operators worldwide since 2002. In all current managed services contracts, excluding hosting, Ericsson is managing networks that together serve more than 750 million subscribers worldwide.



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