At MWC in 2015, Telefonica selected HP (as was,now HPE) to be lead integrator for its ambitious Unica network virtualisation programme. By December it had announced a change in tack and was looking to issue a tender for a new systems integrator.

Today at this year’s MWC it has opened the sealed envelope to announce that Ericsson is the new lead integrator, although it is keen to stress it will “continue to collaborate with other key players in order to complete its architecture focused towards a multi vendors approach.”

The objective is to virtualize network functions across all of Telefonica’s operations and Ericsson will start work in Germany this year where it will supply its new Hyperscale Datacenter System 8000, Ericsson Cloud Manager, Cloud SDN and automation, as well as systems integration and support services.