KPN’s German mobile unit, E-Plus, has outsourced almost its entire network to monster vendor Alcatel-Lucent.

On Tuesday, the mobile operator tapped Alcatel-Lucent to manage the operational business divisions responsible for the operation, maintenance and deployment of its cellular network.

The switchover will take place on March 1 and will allow E-Plus to concentrate on its core business and reduce operational expenses.

Under the agreement, about 750 E-Plus employees in Germany will join Alcatel-Lucent.

E-Plus will maintain responsibility for strategic network planning and network development, including the selection of mobile communications locations and their technical equipment.

“Our decision to enter a strategic partnership with Alcatel-Lucent is designed to guarantee our subscribers a network of a constantly increasing quality over the long term,” said Elmar Grasser, chief technical officer of E-Plus.

“By outsourcing individual business divisions, we can apply greater energy to our core business – and that means quality and especially care for our customers. It will put us in a position to focus even more attention on the development of simple, cost-effective mobile communications solutions for clearly defined customer segments,” Grasser said.