Ericsson and mobilkom austria commercially launch HSPA Evolution

As first provider in Europe leading operator mobilkom austria today commercially activated enhanced mobile-broadband services powered by HSPA Evolution, Ericsson’s (NASDAQ:ERIC) latest high-speed broadband-access technology. HSPA Evolution, commercially marketed as HSPA+ by mobilkom austria, boosts network capacity in and enables peak data rates of up to 21Mbps, significantly improving users’ mobile-broadband experience.

The network upgrade allows the customers of mobilkom austria - the Austrian market-leader with 400.000 mobile broadband customers - to enhance their mobile-broadband experience with the highest speeds in Austria and confirms mobilkom austria and Ericsson’s leadership in mobile-broadband technology.

The step to 21Mbps peak rate adds a new dimension to the broadband experience, providing significantly faster internet browsing and file downloads. It increases network capacity and allows a greater number of customers to enjoy higher mobile broadband speeds especially in congested areas.

Ericsson is the main supplier for the upgrade of mobilkom austria’s WCDMA/HSPA radio-access network with the HSPA Evolution step to 21Mbps, and is also responsible for network deployment and integration services. Transmission speed of up to 28 Mbps will be reached in the course of the year.

Hannes Ametsreiter, CMO mobilkom austria AG and CEO Telekom Austria TA AG, says: “Ericsson’s HSPA Evolution technology provides us with the fastest, most advanced mobile-broadband network in the country and allows us to significantly enhance our customers’ true mobile-broadband experience.”

Roland Nordgren, Head of Ericsson Central Europe and President of Ericsson Austria, says: “This launch marks an important milestone for mobile broadband in Austria. We are proud to provide mobilkom austria with the latest mobile-broadband technology and support its position as a leader in innovation.”

Notes to editors:
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. The market leader in 2G and 3G mobile technologies, Ericsson supplies communications services and manages networks that serve more than 250 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 billion (SEK 209 billion) in 2008. 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 the HSPA Evolution step to 21Mbps
This improvement is the first step of HSPA Evolution, also called HSPA+. Using enhancements standardized by the 3rd Generation Partnership Project (3GPP), it brings the maximum 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, which makes it possible for HSPA systems to send data bits at a higher rate. For Ericsson base stations, the enhancement is a software-only upgrade. Consumer devices that support the higher speed are already available. Future steps in the HSPA Evolution path include the addition of technologies such as Multiple-Input/Multiple-Output (MIMO) antenna technologies and multi-carrier functionality. By combining these improvements, downlink speeds of 168Mbps and uplink speeds exceeding 20Mbps will be possible. The mentioned data rates are peak-network rates. Actual customer-data rates can be lower, and will vary due to congestion, distance from the base station, local conditions, hardware, software and other factors.