Ericsson is buying the French operations of Devoteam Telecom & Media in a move intended to strengthen the telecom equipment giant’s consulting and systems integration capabilities. The acquisition will bring 400 Devoteam IT service professionals to Ericsson and includes the purchase of Devoteam’s TV SmartVision operations.
“Acquiring activities of Devoteam adds unique expertise in complex, strategic and technical consulting engagements that will enable us to immediately enhance the value that we bring to our customers,” says Magnus Mandersson, Ericsson’s executive vice president.
The IT consulting group Devoteam has approximately 5,000 employees in Europe, the Middle East and Africa. Ericsson remains a key partner for Devoteam, especially in the U.K. and in the Mediterranean region.
Devoteam stated that the sale of its French telecom operations is part of an ongoing effort refocus its service portfolio on niche operations in certain domains such as cloud transformation and IT services.
“This transaction fits well with our 2015 strategic plan,” said Derek Nutley, telecom director at Devoteam. “It will allow us to focus more on innovation around the Devoteam’s value propositions.”
The deal is expected to close at the beginning of the second quarter of this year and is subject to customary closing conditions. The financial terms of the deal were not disclosed.
