Switzerland's Sunrise Communications has agreed to outsource the operation of its mobile, fixed and data networks to Alcatel-Lucent as of August 1, 2008. The contract includes the transfer of 290 employees, and is valued at approximately EUR340 million (US$530 million) over 7 years, depending on the final scope of the project.

 Sunrise will continue to carry out key roles such as network planning and customer service. The network infrastructure including all telecommunication systems remains totally owned by Sunrise.

"We are pleased that with the Sunrise network operations outsourcing contract we are now serving a total of 3.6 million Swiss customers. The selection of Alcatel-Lucent demonstrates the trust that Sunrise has in our expertise and service quality,” said Andy Williams, President of Alcatel-Lucent’s services business. "As our business continues to grow, locally and internationally, we look to continue building our managed services capabilities, and therefore develop an even broader knowledge base.”

The network operations outsourcing contract includes the Sunrise division’s operation, maintenance and expansion. The 290 employees will receive equivalent conditions as they had at Sunrise, and will be able to work in the same geographical region.

Both companies have agreed that no detailed information of the outsourcing contract will be published

Source:cellular-news