As part of the agreement, Ericsson and Cisco will work in partnership to deploy and integrate a range of technologies and services aimed at expanding the operator’s network capacity and increasing data throughput.
"We are very pleased to build on our long-standing relationship with 3 Italia, whereby Ericsson has managed the operator's network and IT environments for more than a decade. By leveraging complementary capabilities from Ericsson and Cisco, we are paving the way for 5G, meeting increasing consumer and data traffic demand," said Nunxio Mirtillo, head of region Mediterranean at Ericsson.
Ericsson and Cisco will deliver their router technology with a scalable, consolidated platform aimed at personalising services for both fixed and mobile users. In addition, the proposed architecture for 3 Italia includes Cisco’s Firepower 9300, a security appliance that protects the mobile packet core to improve both performance and service stability.
Last November, Ericsson and Cisco announced a global business and technology partnership aimed at creating “the networks of the future”. The partnership is said to focus on areas such as routing, data centre, networking, cloud, mobility, management and control and global services capabilities.