Change in Ericsson's executive leadership team Tweet

Marita Hellberg, current head of corporate HR, takes on HR in China and North East Asia

· Effective as of July 1st

Marita Hellberg, currently Senior Vice President and Head of Human Resources for the Ericsson (NASDAQ:ERIC) Group, has been appointed to take over as Head of Human Resources of Ericsson's new region China and North East Asia.

"This is a great and exciting challenge for me. China and North East Asia are today among the fastest growing and most sophisticated telecommunications markets in the world," says Marita Hellberg. "Ericsson's new regional set-up aims to drive flexibility, speed and innovation in our organization, but it will also require a strong focus from the human resources and cultural perspective."

Marita Hellberg joined Ericsson in 1978 and before becoming Head of corporate Human Resources she held various positions in that area in different parts of the organization. Hellberg was born in Djurö, Sweden, in 1955 and graduated in social studies from the University of Stockholm.

The search for Marita Hellberg's replacement has started; a new Head of HR will be announced separately.

Notes to editors:

Photos of Marita Hellberg:

www.ericsson.com/ericsson/press/photos/marita_hellberg.shtml

Profile and video of Marita Hellberg:

www.ericsson.com/ericsson/corpinfo/management/marita_hellberg.shtml

Press release new organization:

www.ericsson.com/thecompany/press/releases/2010/02/1381506

Ericsson's Executive Leadership Team

http://www.ericsson.com/ericsson/corpinfo/management/index.shtml

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Aster Selects Motorola RFoG Solution to Extend Triple-Play Services and Increase Bandwidth Tweet

Motorola enables Aster to deliver ultra-broadband services over an all-fibre network.

WARSAW, Poland – Motorola Inc. (NYSE: MOT) has announced that its Home business has been selected by Aster for a pilot commercial deployment of its RF over Glass (RFoG) solution. Motorola's end-to-end RFoG solution will enable Aster to economically roll out an advanced fiber-to-the-home (FTTH) network and deliver new ultra-broadband triple-play services.

All-fiber RFoG solutions have proven to be both cost effective and easy to deploy, providing cable operators another way to expand their service offerings while leveraging current network investments and maintaining existing back office operations, video infrastructure, and customer premises equipment (CPE).

“Motorola’s RFoG solution enables us to evolve our service offering and deliver new ultra-broadband services,. We selected Motorola’s solution as it offers a cost effective and straightforward migration path to a future all-fiber network and enables us to meet the ever increasing demand for rich media experiences and triple play services.” Wiesław Oleksiak, CTO, Aster.

Aster’s roll out of the network will include the deployment of Motorola's SG4000 modular optical node for an RFoG application – which enables cable operators to extend their reach into previously unconnected areas and serve more subscribers.

“As consumers demand faster data connections and richer media services, cable operators such as Aster are turning to all-fibre networks for cost-effective service deliver,” stated Steve McCaffery, vice president and general manager for Motorola’s Home business in EMEA. “Our RFoG portfolio bridges HFC solutions and PON solutions and provides an economically responsible network evolution for cable operators.”

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Motorola Wins Largest TETRA Terminal Award from German Federal Ministry of Interior Tweet

Contract includes the delivery of approximately 53,000 TETRA digital radio terminals – Motorola´s largest single public safety TETRA terminal contract in Europe

IDSTEIN, Germany – The Enterprise Mobility Solutions business of Motorola, Inc (NYSE: MOT), a world leading provider of mission critical communications solutions, announced that it will supply the Central Procurement Office of the German Federal Ministry of the Interior (Beschaffungsamt des Bundesministeriums des Innern - BMI) with an estimated 53,000 TETRA digital two-way radios. This is the largest award from the federal government and regional states for a TETRA terminal rollout in Germany. It also represents the largest single public safety contract ever received by Motorola in Europe for TETRA radio devices and one of the largest TETRA contracts in the world.

Over the next three years Motorola will supply the federal public safety users, which includes the federal police (Bundespolizei), the federal criminal police (Bundeskriminalamt), the German federal agency for technical relief (Technisches Hilfswerk), German customs and other public safety bodies with portable and mobile TETRA terminals as well as accessories and services.

The contract includes portable and mobile TETRA radios including a tailored vehicle solution to aid the migration of users from existing analogue radio services to the new TETRA network. In addition, Motorola will provide its “integrated Terminal Management” (iTM) solution to centrally manage the configuration of each radio. This significant win for Motorola continues to build the company’s reputation as the leading supplier of TETRA terminals for mission critical communications. The German Federal Ministry of Interior contract follows other recent terminal wins in the country for Motorola. German regional authorities that have adopted Motorola’s TETRA radio standards include Berlin, Thuringia and Schleswig-Holstein.

The contract includes the new MTP850FuG handheld, an easy-to-use and robust device that includes core features such as secure, reliable voice and data communications. It also incorporates additional features to comply with German public safety authority standards and requirements.

The key safety features incorporated into the MTP850FuG are:

* End-to-end encryption compliant with Federal Office for Information Security (BSI) standards
* Compliant with BOS (Behörden und Organisationen mit Sicherheitsaufgaben - German public safety authorities) functional requirements Transmission power of up to 1.8 watts for extended coverage, especially in Direct Mode Operation (DMO)
* FMS (Funk-Melde-System) status application and acoustic receipt function, for fast and efficient communications
* A “Man Down” feature that sends an alert to the dispatcher if the radio does not move in a given period of time or tilts past a defined angle

These and other features help end-users to migrate easily from their existing analogue devices to the new TETRA digital radio. The rugged terminals offer public safety users an easy-to-use interface, which has been developed specifically to ensure the devices are intuitive to operate and therefore meet the needs of the mission critical end-user.

Another key element of the contract is the supply of customised vehicle solutions, where the new TETRA mobile radio can be installed alongside existing analogue radios, allowing communications between the existing analogue and TETRA systems – while providing a simple user interface. This supports the migration of users’ radio services from the old analogue to TETRA digital radio technology.

Motorola will also supply its Integrated Terminal Management (iTM) solution that will allow the users groups of the federal government to remotely manage the software and configurations of every radio terminal from a central location. Based on an enterprise-grade client-server architecture, iTM operates over a standard IP network, which allows the customer to integrate iTM seamlessly into their existing IT networks for enhanced security. The iTM solution improves the speed and reliability with which software updates and radio-configuration changes can be carried out across the whole system. This contributes to officer safety as well as efficient management and security of the terminals.

“We are delighted to supply the Central Procurement Office of the German Federal Ministry of Interior with perhaps the largest number of TETRA terminals ever covered within a single award. This is an exciting step for Motorola as we will deliver our TETRA terminals to federal organisations across the entire country and pays testimony to our competitiveness and leadership position as we continue to strive for excellence in the deployment of mission critical solutions,” said Manuel Torres, corporate vice president and general manager, Motorola Enterprise Mobility Solutions Business, EMEA. “The end-user is always at the forefront of our terminal development and the MTP850FuG is the perfect example of this approach: It is a rugged and intuitive device designed for the needs and specifications of public safety users in the German market.”

The Motorola TETRA portfolio includes infrastructure solutions, terminals, applications and services that are used in more than 90 countries worldwide. To date, the company has been able to maintain its leading position in the sector of TETRA digital radio solutions. The rugged, intuitively operated products from Motorola already undergo extensive tests during the development phase to ensure high quality and reliable handling even under extreme conditions.

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Where do the opportunities lie for innovation in materials – Design by Community Tweet

GLOBAL – With materials top of this week’s agenda, we turned to longtime Nokia and Symbian Guru, Ricky Cadden, community manager of Symbian-Guru.com and known worldwide simply as ‘The Guru’. He’s packaged up his thoughts in response to the questions we posed: When it comes to materials in mobile devices, where do the opportunities lie for innovation and what materials would you like to see used in the future and why? Read on after the jump to get The Guru’s take.

When it comes to materials in mobile devices, where do the opportunities lie for innovation? What materials would you like to see used in the future and why?
Ricky Cadden, Community Manager, Symbian-Guru.com

As companies consider how to build future devices, one area that simply cannot be ignored is the materials used in the process. Just as in the various features on a mobile device, there are countless opportunities for innovation in the materials that we use to build tomorrow’s mobile devices. For the most part, you could easily classify the innovations into either environmental or performance related.

Environmental

We’re only just starting to see the effects that the green movement has had on technology, but we’re going to be seeing plenty more over the next few years. Nokia is already waist-deep in this category of innovation with phones such as the 3110 Evolve, which was announced at Nokia World 2008. The 3110 Evolve is almost an exact copy of the original 3110 Classic, but uses far more environmentally-friendly materials. Biodegradable plastics, significantly reduced packaging, and other improvements help the phone make a smaller impact on the world it is used in. Moving forward, there are tremendous opportunities in corn-based plastics and other natural materials. Another side benefit is that often, these materials are cheaper and use less energy to produce.

The key for manufacturers with an eye for the environment is that consumers often are not willing to sacrifice features or design in exchange for a more ‘green’ phone. Biodegradable plastic needs to look and feel like ‘normal’ plastic, for instance, and the phones that are designed to be more environmentally friendly shouldn’t scrimp on features, either.

Performance

Traditionally, mobile devices are typically made up of plastics or metal, a bit of glass, and rubber. While these materials have held up nicely over the years, there is, always, room for improvement. Carbon Fiber is one material that I would like to see in future devices, as it offers a tremendous improvement in durability and sturdiness without adding substantial heft. Antimicrobial surfaces are also an area of opportunity for the mobile industry. We already see these on many handsets for the Japanese market, but any mobile phone is a candidate, as they’re always being pressed against your face or passed from hand to germ-filled hand.

Of course, the fit and finish of these new materials is also something to consider. In the past, there has been a focus on high-gloss shiny finishes that really catch users’ eyes. Unfortunately, as we all know, these materials are a nightmare to use on an ongoing basis, as you constantly have to clean and polish them. Soft-touch coverings have started to make an entrance, and personally, I would prefer to have soft-touch on all of my mobile devices, as it provides better grip in most circumstances.

Materials used in the battery of tomorrow’s mobile device are equally important. Batteries tend to be the most dangerous part of the phone when it comes to the environment, and manufacturers are already looking for alternative ways to power your phone. Solar panels instantly come to mind as one of the most under-utilized technologies for powering mobile devices. Of course, I wouldn’t expect to only use the sun to charge my phone, but having the entire back panel as a solar panel would certainly make top-ups throughout the day a much less painful part of using my mobile device.

Conclusion

As Nokia pushes into this Design by Community experiment, it’s incredibly important to consider the materials used along the way. By focusing on more Earth-friendly materials and manufacturing processes, the phone of tomorrow has a better chance of actually existing.

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Ovi Store gets a makeover Tweet

GLOBAL – Nokia’s Ovi Store received a fresh lick of paint and a dollop of new features this week. The new update now makes it even easier to use the Store on your desktop or mobile phone and it’s all change from the word go.

Read on after the jump to find out what’s changed and how you can get your hands on the brand spanking new offering. The most notable update is how easy it is to get instant access to all the Ovi Store’s goodness. There’s now a ‘mobile device selector’ for users who aren’t logged in, so you can see instantly what apps and games are available for different devices.

The ratings have also had a boost, in the form of two extra stars. Following feedback from users, Ovi Store content now uses a five star rating system, to make it easier to see the best stuff. What’s more, reviews now show when they were posted and what device the app was used on. And users now have to download an app before they can review it. All this should help it easier for you to find the best new content for your device.

Search has also received a makeover with a cleaner list-based view of the content making it easier to weed out the apps you want and those you don’t.

Desktop users will see the new release when you go to store.ovi.com. Mobile users can pick up the new mobile store front when you log into Ovi Store on your device, simply choose ‘update’ when prompted to install new software. Bingo.

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Give your phone a second life - it's easy to be green Tweet

Give your phone a second life - it's easy to be green

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WTA TOUR AND SONY ERICSSON LAUNCH ‘SUPERFANS’ SOCIAL MEDIA PLATFORM Tweet

* Tour becomes first major league to fully embrace social media via one-stop hub for biggest stars in women’s tennis
* Unprecedented athlete accessibility, on and off the court, to be hallmark of platform

MIAMI, Florida – The WTA Tour and Sony Ericsson jointly announced the launch of SuperFans (www.WTASuperFans.com) – a groundbreaking social media channel that will live online across the Tour, player, tournament and Sony Ericsson digital and mobile platforms and will become the destination for women’s tennis fans across the globe to get closer than ever before to players. Harnessing the power of social media and the enormous worldwide popularity of Tour stars - some of the most followed athletes on Facebook™ and Twitter™ – SuperFans will enable women’s tennis to become the most accessible and fan friendly sport in the world by bringing together into a single hub all of the social media channel conversations and content produced by its players. As the Communication Entertainment brand, Sony Ericsson’s social media expertise, combined with the Tour’s commitment to enhance the fan experience, will ensure that through SuperFans the Sony Ericsson WTA Tour takes fan interactivity, engagement and entertainment to an unprecedented level

“The social media revolution has enabled professional athletes like myself to have a more meaningful two-way dialogue with fans,” said Maria Sharapova, the most followed female athlete in the world. “I love the SuperFans concept, as it makes it easy for fans of women’s tennis to hear from us and talk to us.”

The SuperFans initiative marks the first time that a major sports league has endorsed, promoted and aggregated the social media channels of its athletes, enabling fans to communicate with players on a deeper and more personal level. The Tour’s top social networkers – Venus Williams, Serena Williams and Maria Sharapova – have close to 5 million combined followers on the internet.

The SuperFans platform will give fans unprecedented insight into the lives of players, on and off the court, providing a single destination for real-time aggregated and consolidated social media feeds, such as Twitter and Facebook. Fans can either look through all player updates or filter their view by a group or an individual. Any videos and images that the players attach to their social media updates through channels such as YouTube™ and Flickr™ will also appear on the SuperFans site.

Additionally, through SuperFans, players will have the opportunity to interact with each other and tag each other in photos, enriching the dynamic platform. The Sony Ericsson Xperia™ X10 mobile phone will be used by players to create photo, video and text content for SuperFans. Also, SuperFans will provide fans with a live tournament experience at select Tour events, offering tickets to their favorite stars’ most important matches through a series of competitions.

“SuperFans is an innovative way for our players to connect with their fans,” said Stacey Allaster, Chairman and CEO of the Sony Ericsson WTA Tour. “Through the multitude of social media web channels, our sport and players have a fantastic opportunity to create exciting customer experiences.”

“We are pleased that Sony Ericsson mobile technology is enabling the creation of spontaneous social content from some of most inspirational athletes on earth,” said Lennard Hoornik, Head of Global Marketing, Sony Ericsson. “For millions of tennis fans around the world, SuperFans is a service that delivers on our brand promise of make.believe, which aims to build a fun, playful and inclusive interaction with consumers. SuperFans will bring audiences closer to tennis, giving them a greater access to unique fan experiences.”

The Tour’s recent advancements in the digital space include the launch of a new mobile WAP site available to fans through their mobile handsets, and the Spanish language version of the Tour’s official website, which joined the Tour’s existing official language websites in English and Chinese. The Russian version of the website will debut later this year.

The Tour worked with AnalogFolk, a leading UK-based digital marketing agency, on development of the SuperFans program. Promotion of the SuperFans program will be supported through a series of viral videos focused on players, filmed during the Sony Ericsson Open and set to be released in late April.

About the Sony Ericsson WTA Tour
The Sony Ericsson WTA Tour is the world’s leading professional sport for women with more than 2,225 players representing 91 nations competing for more than $86 million in prize money at the Tour’s 53 events and four Grand Slams in 33 countries. More than 4.9 million people attended women’s tennis events in 2009 with millions more watching on television networks around the world. The Sony Ericsson WTA Tour season concludes with the Sony Ericsson Championships – Doha 2010 in Doha, Qatar, from October 26-31, and the Commonwealth Bank Tournament of Champions in Bali, Indonesia, from November 4-7. Further information on the Tour can be found on the Internet at www.sonyericssonwtatour.com

About Sony Ericsson
Sony Ericsson is a 50/50 joint venture by Sony and Ericsson established in October 2001, with global corporate functions located in London and operations in major markets around the world. Sony Ericsson’s strategy is to become the industry leader in Communication Entertainment, through new styles of interaction across the internet and social media. Sony Ericsson offers exciting consumer experiences through through innovative and feature rich phones, accessories, content and applications.

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