Early in June, 3 Scandinavia became the first operator in Sweden to offer Ericsson's Mobile Organizer. Marketed to small and medium-size businesses as 3EasyMail, it synchronizes e-mails, contacts and a calendar in a mobile phone.

But 3 went a step further and signed a managed services contract with Ericsson to operate and host the e-mail offering. A second product for 3's business customers, a mobile switchboard called 3Switch, has also been outsourced to Ericsson.

The arrangement frees 3 from the responsibility of having to run and maintain technology that falls outside its core business - the operation of mobile networks - while at the same time allowing the company to offer customers the services they need. 

The arrangement was a natural step for 3, says Johan Othelius, the company's marketing director. In the two largest managed services deals signed in the telecom industry to date, Ericsson agreed last year to run a big portion of 3's networks in Italy and the UK.

"We benefit from the experience we gain from those deals," Othelius says. "Hosting services also saves us money. Instead of buying the equipment and installing it in our centers, Ericsson is in charge of making it work on their side."
 

It is too early to say what the savings will be, he added, because the launch occurred just a few weeks ago.

The push e-mail service will be central to 3's growing portfolio for small and medium-size businesses. Malin Johansson, 3's manager of business marketing, says that because it is offered at a fixed price, it will be less costly than the SMS service many smaller companies use today for their on-the-road communication.

Another advantage is that 3EasyMail can be used on a regular 3G phone, giving businesses that cannot afford more expensive handheld devices access to the same services large corporations now enjoy.

The release of new 3G phones this summer will give 3's business customers access to handsets with bigger screens and wider keyboards to facilitate e-mail correspondence.

A second important business solution by Ericsson, the mobile switchboard, will also help smaller enterprises competing in today's market.

"The 3Switch is ideal for a company that does not want to make an upfront investment in a telephony switch - a PBX - but still needs support from a switchboard operator, short-numbers, and group-numbers, at a controlled cost," Johansson says. "It's a very flexible solution for small or medium-size companies that want to cut operational costs and save money."

With the e-mail service added to the mix, 3 completes its package for the lucrative Swedish enterprise market, she says.