Ericsson scored a data center consolidation and managed-services deal with the major Italian telco Fastweb.

Under the seven-year agreement, Ericsson will consolidate and transform Fastweb’s data centers, but will also operate the telco’s IT infrastructure. The end result is expected to be a more advanced automated IT architecture that has more flexibility and capacity and have a smaller environmental impact than the company’s infrastructure has today.

Fastweb CTO Mario Mella said the deal was an important step for the company and finding the right company to do it was key. “Ericsson's solution had the right mix of innovation, latest technology and controlled approach. We will be able to benefit from a more scalable and powerful platform, supporting enhanced services,” he said.

Ericsson, one of the largest telcos in Sweden, expanded its play in the data center and professional services space only this year. In February, the company announced a new line of services, ranging from consulting to data center construction and IT optimization.

A major focus for the company’s venture into the data center services space is to capture demand from telcos that want to provide cloud-based services to enterprises.

Fastweb has about 1.65m customers in Italy, operating a network that consists of more than 32,000 kilometers of cable in about 1,000 cities. It offers telco solutions to everybody, from consumers to enterprises and public-sector agencies.