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Mobile broadband to enhance economic and social development in the Amazon


WEBWIRE

# Isolated and deprived communities to get access to internet for the first time
# M-health and m-education to 175 villages
# Connectivity to generate economic opportunity

More than 30,000 people in 175 Amazon villages will get access to e-health and e-education services through mobile broadband. Ericsson (NASDAQ:ERIC) and Vivo are part of a group that will bring mobile broadband connectivity to the Amazonian state of Pará in Brazil.

With more than 5 million sq km, the Amazon represents over half of the planet’s remaining rainforests and comprises the largest biodiversity on the planet.

Among other applications, the project will implement the mobile survey tool that will be used to monitor environmental impacts, diagnose patients, facilitate communication with the communities, and run studies to monitor the life quality index.

Roberto Lima, President of Vivo, Brazil’s largest operator, says: “We believe and are working to show that a connected Brazil can do more. This is our motto and a partnership like this reinforces our commitment in attending to and understanding Brazil’s development. We will create a learning network through the use of mobile devices to build local educational setup, and to also exchange information.”

A recent research by Deloitte shows that a 10 percent increase in mobile penetration leads to a 1.2 percent increase in Gross Domestic Product (GDP) in developing countries.

Fatima Raimondi, President of Ericsson Brazil, says: “Mobile communications play an important role in helping communities to develop on a sustainable basis. Working in partnership means we can achieve things we wouldn’t be able to do alone.”

Under the scope of the project, Vivo will operate and maintain the infrastructure. The Vivo Institute will develop methodologies and practices for network learning, spreading the opportunities offered by the project. Ericsson will develop and implement the necessary solutions, services and applications for the project. The Saúde & Alegria project will offer local support and will be responsible for training communities, giving guidelines for the use of the application. During the first phase of the project 15 communities will be covered.

The initiative also includes Sony Ericsson, the government of Belterra, CPqD (Brazilian research institute for telecom and IT companies) and the Albert Einstein Hospital, among others.

Notes to editors:
Photo of Fatima Raimondi:
www.ericsson.com/ericsson/press/photos/amazon.shtml
Photo of Roberto Lima:
www.ericsson.com/ericsson/press/photos/amazon.shtml
Photos of the project:
www.ericsson.com/ericsson/press/photos/amazon.shtml
Map of Amazon (from NASA’s earth observatory):
http://earthobservatory.nasa.gov/Features/AmazonEVI/Images/amazon_evi_map.jpg
Related projects
Millennium Villages:
ericsson.com/ericsson/corporate_responsibility
UN’s Millennium Development Goals:
www.undp.org/mdg/basics.shtml
Ericsson’s 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. Ericsson is the leader in 2G, 3G and 4G mobile technologies, and provides support for networks with over 1 billion subscribers and has a leading position in managed services. The company’s portfolio comprises of mobile and fixed network infrastructure, telecom services, software, broadband and multimedia solutions for operators, enterprises and the media industry. The Sony Ericsson and ST-Ericsson joint ventures provide consumers with feature-rich personal mobile devices.

Ericsson is advancing its vision of “to be the prime driver in an all-communicating world” through innovation, technology, and sustainable business solutions. Working in 175 countries, more than 75,000 employees generated revenue of SEK 209 billion (USD 32.2 billion) in 2008. Founded in 1876 with the headquarters in Stockholm, Sweden, Ericsson is listed on OMX NASDAQ, Stockholm and NASDAQ New York.

www.ericsson.com
www.ericsson.mobi
www.twitter.com/ericssonpress



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