Ericsson's CEO states 2006 was the breakthrough year for

Ericsson's CEO states 2006 was the breakthrough year for mobile broadbandEricsson (NASDAQ:ERIC) President and CEO Carl-Henric Svanberg said today at the 3GSM World Congress in Barcelona, that with close to a hundred HSPA networks launched across the world, HSPA has been established as the preferred technology for mobility and wireless broadband. "Millions of people have already today mobile access to the internet anywhere, anytime", said Svanberg. "The eco system is in place with some 125 HSPA enabled devices, including some 50 HSPA mobile phones."Svanberg stressed the importance of mobile telephony as the only way of closing the digital divide. "To many people, mobile telephony is their only way to communicate with the outside world. Availability of communications also drives economic growth," Svanberg stated. After the recent acquisitions, Svanberg concluded that Ericsson has the necessary capabilities to lead the development also in next generation IP networks. "We have strengthened our positions further. We have the industry's broadest and most complete product offering, and will continue our strategy with organic growth and bolt-on acquisitions," Svanberg said. "We have also accelerated our own research and development since innovation will always be key for leadership in this industry." In the press conference, the heads of Ericsson's three business units also presented their offerings and strategies. Kurt Jofs, Executive Vice President and head of business unit Networks, said, "We have a strong position due to our technology leadership and economies of scale. With our industry leading portfolio, we have unique capabilities to meet operators' in transforming their networks and business toward broadband." Hans Vestberg, Executive Vice President and head of business unit Global Services, spoke about Ericsson's leading role as a managed-services partner and prime integrator. Vestberg said: "We are today managing networks with more than 100 million subscribers. We are also providing technical support 24/7 to operators with more than one billion subscribers. Ericsson Global Services once again grew faster than the market with over 30 percent growth last year. With our number one position in telecom services and more than ten percent market share, we are will positioned for the future." Jan Wäreby, Senior Vice President, and head of business unit Multimedia, discussed industry innovations and the multimedia evolution. "The future is already here at 3GSM and it's all around us; it's about music on the move, mobile TV, internet, and e-mail access anytime, anywhere," Wäreby said. "Ericsson is helping to drive the multimedia experience. Our innovative technology, application platforms, cutting-edge Sony Ericsson phones and relationships with leading content developers and application providers make us a valuable partner for operators and other industry players seeking to access more revenue streams." Ericsson is shaping the future of Mobile and Broadband Internet communications through its continuous technology leadership. Providing innovative solutions in more than 140 countries, Ericsson is helping to create the most powerful communication companies in the world. Read more at http://www.ericsson.com/press FOR FURTHER INFORMATION, PLEASE CONTACT Ericsson Media RelationsPhone: +46 8 719 6992E-mail: press.relations@ericsson.com Text version / Internet version / Print / Close