Ericsson and Telstra world’s first to deliver Mobile Broadband at 21Mbps in commercial network

Ericsson (NASDAQ: ERIC) and Telstra have achieved an industry first: the successful activation of HSPA Evolution functionality capable of peak network speeds up to 21 Mbps into the Telstra Next G(TM) commercial network and the world’s first data call on the newly-enabled network. For the first time, a commercial network makes use of the enhanced, standardized improvements called HSPA Evolution.

This enhancement adds a new dimension to broadband experience with the capability for significantly faster internet browsing and file download, even faster than many fixed broadband connections. With HSPA Evolution, operators will increase the capacity in the networks and reduce the costs to deliver Mobile Broadband services.

Michael Rocca, Group Managing Director, Telstra Networks & Services says, “HSPA Evolution is live and working for the first time anywhere in the world in a commercial network on the Telstra Next G(TM) network in Australia,” Michael says. “Ericsson and Telstra are seeing great results ahead of upcoming trials and device deployment.”

Mike Wright, Executive Director Telstra Wireless made the first data call on the Next G(TM) network in Brisbane, Queensland at 16:00 AEST on 5 December 2008. Trials of the 21Mbps mobile broadband service on the Next G(TM) network will begin this month with a full commercial launch to follow early next year.

“Ericsson continues to bring the best possible Mobile Broadband experience to consumers all over the world,” says Ulf Ewaldsson, Vice President and Head of Product Area Radio, Ericsson. “Ericsson has an impressive list of HSPA world-first records, including the first commercial HSPA network, first live with HSPA on the Uplink and also first with 5.8Mbps on the Uplink. With our achievement of 21Mbps in Telstra’s network we continue Ericsson’s technology leadership in the Mobile Broadband area. We thank Telstra for the close co-operation to reach this milestone.”

Notes to editors:
Ericsson’s standard multimedia content is available at the broadcast room:
www.ericsson.com/broadcast_room

Ericsson is the world’s leading provider of technology and services to telecom operators. The market leader in 2G and 3G mobile technologies, Ericsson supplies communications services and manages networks that serve more than 195 million subscribers. The company’s portfolio comprises mobile and fixed network infrastructure, and broadband and multimedia solutions for operators, enterprises and developers. The Sony Ericsson joint venture provides consumers with feature-rich personal mobile devices.

Ericsson is advancing its vision of ’communication for all’ through innovation, technology, and sustainable business solutions. Working in 175 countries, more than 70,000 employees generated revenue of USD 27.9 billion (SEK 188 billion) in 2007. Founded in 1876 and headquartered in Stockholm, Sweden, Ericsson is listed on OMX Nordic Exchange Stockholm and NASDAQ.

For more information, visit www.ericsson.com or www.ericsson.mobi.

About Telstra Corporation Ltd
Telstra Corporation Ltd is Australia’s leading telecommunications and information services company, with one of the best-known brands in the country. Telstra is the only true media communications company in Australia that can provide customers with a fully integrated telecommunications experience across fixed line, mobiles, broadband (BigPond®), information, transaction and search (Sensis®) and pay TV (FOXTEL). By using an integrated suite of network and media assets, Telstra is creating a world of 1-click, 1-touch, 1-command, any screen solutions that are integrated, operate in real-time, and are simple, easy and valued by customers.

About HSPA Evolution with 21Mbps
This improvement is the first step of HSPA Evolution, also known as HSPA+. The improvement is provided by enhancements standardized by the 3rd Generation Partnership Project (3GPP), bringing the maximum possible downlink speed for HSPA to 21Mbps, much higher than the current maximum of 14Mbps. The step to 21Mbps is obtained by using a higher-order modulation, called 64QAM that makes it possible for HSPA systems to send data bits with a higher rate. Future steps in the HSPA Evolution path include technologies like Multiple-Input-Multiple-Output (MIMO) antenna technologies and multi-carrier transmission. By combining these improvements, downlink speeds over 80Mbps and uplink speeds over 20Mbps will be possible.
21Mbps is the peak network downlink speed. Actual customer download speeds can be less and will vary due to congestion, distance from the cell, local conditions, hardware, software and other factors.