Since January 1, 2004, Ericsson is maintaining half of the GSM network of Swiss operator Orange Communications S.A. Ericsson established a field service organization for Orange's multi-vendor network environment which covers the maintenance for systems delivered by several manufacturers including Ericsson's microwave products.

This agreement reinforces Ericsson's position in the fast growing Managed Services market, and demonstrates Ericsson's strength in understanding customer needs and quick implementation processes.

"Being the world leader in telecommunications equipment and services, we are bringing all our experience in maintaining and running mobile networks," says Kristian Teär, Head of Ericsson in Germany, Austria and Switzerland.

"With this agreement, we can ensure the best network performance and cost efficiency at the same time. Ericsson's expertise in managing mobile networks was one of the key drivers when we choose them as our partner," adds Mike Farnham, Head of Radio Access Services from Orange Switzerland.