Italian broadband company Fastweb has signed a new managed services agreement with Ericsson.

The seven-year deal will see Fastweb's two data centres consolidated using Ericsson's consulting and systems integration services.

Fastweb, which is owned by the Swisscom Group, will also introduce a range of new IT systems under a managed operations contract.

It is hoped that the new technology will allow Fastweb to improve the quality and capacity of its services, boosting flexibility and reducing its environmental impact.

Last December, Swisscom revealed that it had written off €973 million from its annual accounts due to Fastweb's poor performance.

The deal will see Ericsson manage the systems integration and maintenance of Fastweb's data centres.

Ericsson vice-president and head of managed services Valter D'Avino said Fastweb is an "exciting" partner for the group because it provides services beyond traditional telecoms.

"Ericsson continues to expand its professional services into new areas such as IT and broadcasting," D'Avino added.

"With several industries converging - telecom, media, and internet - the technology is becoming more complex and our mission is to manage the complexity and ensure the provision of streamlined, customer-oriented, quality services."

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