Ericsson urges world leaders to include transformative ICT solutions when addressing climate change

· At the Green Solutions Fair@COP16 in Mexico, in conjunction with the United Nations Climate Change Conference, Ericsson will demonstrate how broadband networks are creating the foundation of a 21st-century low-carbon economy

· Hans Vestberg, Ericsson President and CEO, will participate on a CEO and ministerial panel on December 8, to stress the importance of Information and Communication Technology’s (ICT) role in addressing climate change

· Vestberg will participate from Sweden via Telepresence, demonstrating a proof point for reducing CO2 emissions with ICT

Between November 29 and December 10, world leaders are meeting in Cancún, Mexico for the 16th Conference of the Parties (COP 16) to engage in global climate negotiations.

To date, much of the focus in the climate negotiations has been on cleaning up the emissions problem after it has already occurred. This year Ericsson (NASDAQ:ERIC) is actively engaging with stakeholders in Cancún to promote the use of ICT solutions, which can be transformative when helping to reduce or even avoid future CO2 emissions.

Ericsson has been working with the Mexican government and industry peers for the past six months in order to bring forward this message to global leaders and climate negotiators in Cancún. Raising awareness of what ICT solutions can do to increase energy efficiency in all sectors of society is the first step.

Earlier this week, Christiana Figueres, the Costa Rican diplomat who took over this year as executive secretary of the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change (the body that arranges the talks) stated in a New York Times interview: “Multilateral negotiations such as this one involve not just solving an environmental problem, but actually involve the transformation of economic patterns and the economic structure we have lived with for decades.”

The ICT sector can deliver the transformative change that is required. Supporting ICT innovation will not only deliver environmental benefits; it also drives increased productivity and cost savings. For example, if mobile broadband were to fuel a similar productivity revolution to that generated by mobile voice services, it could boost global GDP by three to four percent, while simultaneously enabling a whole host of services and solutions that will be beneficial in addressing climate change.

Hans Vestberg, President and CEO of Ericsson, says: “Introducing ICT solutions in all sectors of society allows us to shift the climate change discussion. Rather than only focusing on reducing emissions we can look forward and start changing our ways of doing things. We need a large-scale transformative change and shift from a physical to an information-based infrastructure.” Today’s broadband has become tomorrow’s highways.

At COP16, Ericsson will engage in a number of key activities to raise awareness among global leaders, governments, NGOs and other industries of the important role that ICT can play, and offer policy recommendations on how to best apply ICT to different sectors of society.

Ericsson’s focus at COP16 will be on profiling how ICT innovations can increase energy efficiency in all sectors of society, such as business operations in general, as well as areas like transport, utilities, education and health. Projects like Ericsson’s involvement in Stockholm Royal Seaport (a connected sustainable city project that aims to be free of fossil fuels by 2030 and cut carbon emissions to less than 1.5 tonnes per person by 2020) is a good example of how to work with cities and implement some of the ICT solutions.


Notes to editors:



Ericsson sustainability

www.ericsson.com/thecompany/sustainability



Link to our external events:

www.ericsson.com/thecompany/events/cop16_957590547_c



On site in Cancún, please visit the Ericsson exhibition at the Green Solutions Fair (Coral Beach Hotel) to see live demonstrations on:



Ericsson Mobile Health, a new product in the healthcare area that enables remote measurement of patients’ physiological parameters in case of different chronic diseases and conditions.

Connected Cities - for the first time in history more people are living in cities than in rural areas. With high incomes and resource-intensive lifestyles, the carbon footprint of urban dwellers is often very high, which adds urgency to the importance of reducing the footprint of cities. Low-carbon ICT can lead to smarter ways of working and ensure that basic needs are met. This will require collaboration, new partnerships and constellations, and introduce new players, and open up opportunities for leadership. Learn more about Connected Cities including connected buses and electric vehicle charging with cell phones.



Refugees United - using your mobile phone or computer, search for missing family and loved ones that have been separated, often due to climate disasters. The application has been developed together with Refugees United.

Weather info for all - disaster alerts, weather information to individuals or small businesses such as farmers, efficient travel routes and weather and climate data collection can all be done using telecom to build societal infrastructure around the world. This is a demonstration showing how mobile towers and mobile phones can assist in climate adaptation. It includes a weather app that can be used on any handset.



Read more about our newly published case studies, showing the CO2-reduction potential of ICT:

www.ericsson.com/thecompany/sustainability



A five-step plan for a low-carbon urban development:

www.ericsson.com/res/thecompany/docs/corporate-responsibility/cr08_doc/wwf_ericsson_5step_plan.pdf



Communication Solutions for Low Carbon Cities:

www.ericsson.com/res/thecompany/



Our multimedia content is available at the broadcast room: www.ericsson.com/broadcast_room



Ericsson twitter on sustainability

www.twitter.com/ericssonsustain





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 2 billion subscribers and has the leading position in managed services. The company’s portfolio comprises 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 being the “prime driver in an all-communicating world” through innovation, technology, and sustainable business solutions. Working in 175 countries, more than 80,000 employees generated revenue of SEK 206.5 billion (USD 27.1 billion) in 2009. Founded in 1876 with the headquarters in Stockholm, Sweden, Ericsson is listed on OMX NASDAQ, Stockholm and NASDAQ New York.

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