Top10 Vendors: 2 - Ericsson: Energetic Approach

• Managed services deal
  with Bharti

• GSM expansion contract
  with Idea

• Jaipur plan takes care
  of India requirement

• Rural connectivity and
  broadband will be the two business focus areas in 2007

• Improved market position in
  the

• IP-PBX segment

Localization is one of
our key building blocks'



How would you rate your performance last year?

Last year was very good. We had some really exciting orders and set up the
first 3G network in Sri Lanka. We have grown faster than the industry, and this
is due to our continued focus on local manufacturing and localization, which
helps us to be more flexible to operator requirements; our global service
capability which allows us to roll-out networks rapidly and manage the booming
traffic; our commitment to R&D and our emphasis on people who finally deliver
these results for our customers.

Mats Granryd

managing director

How have you performed on the manufacturing front?

For us, in India, the requirements of the booming telecom sector are met
entirely through our manufacturing plant at Jaipur. Local manufacturing and
localization are key building blocks of our business strategy. And will continue
to be a focus area.

Bharti Airtel has been a success story for Ericsson India. Any developments
on that front in the last fiscal?


We extended our contract with Bharti on managed services and managed
capacity (MSMC) model for the next three years. This is a reiteration of
Bharti's confidence in Ericsson. We will continue to partner with Bharti to make
sure we continue to grow this partnership.

What's your strategy on 3G and rural infrastructure, and how do you plan
to move forward in FY 2007-08?


Rural connectivity and broadband are the two business focus areas for us in
2007. We have been working on a couple of progressive initiatives in both areas.
These are: Project MOST infrastructure sharing project (we were part of a
successful pilot with COAI and the operators to roll out shared infrastructure
which later resulted in USO-funded network roll-out initiative to increase
telecom coverage in rural India); we have partnered with IDEA and GSMA to use
locally produced bio-fuels to power base stations in rural areas; the Expander
solution is our proposition to increase rural coverage in India and we are
working with operators to ensure that using this solution, there is a strong
business case for rural customers.

On the enterprise front, how has been your performance?


We have made significant improvement in our market position in the IP-PBX
segment, contact center and video conferencing solutions. We are focusing on
mobile health solutions as a priority area. While performance has been
satisfactory, we realize that some of these segments are at early stages of
market development and there is room for improvement.

Ericsson India is focusing more on mobile applications for service providers.
How would you rate your performance in the last fiscal?


Hosted services are a very important element of our services strategy. We
are working closely with operators across India for hosted services. Offtake of
these services has been extremely good. The increasing scope of our engagement
with operators in the hosting area is a proof of reliability of Ericsson systems
and expertise in increasing operator revenue through value added services. The
overall growth has been good and we expect this to continue.

What are your investment plans in FY 2007-08?


As committed, we will invest $100 mn this year.