Ericsson has demonstrated the fastest internet technology in the world in Johannesburg. The demonstration, in front of media and customers was part of a showcase the latest in multimedia and broadband technologies, including Long Term Evolution (LTE) which is being held at the Ericsson offices in Johannesburg from 21 June – 16 July. Showcasing LTE/4G with a speed of 150 Mbps and HSPA Evolution with up to 84 Mbps in the downlink, visitors will be able to experience the technology first hand and learn more about the capabilities of these services. In addition to live LTE and HSPA Evolution demos, Ericsson will also be exhibiting end-to-end what the company is doing with Mobile TV, Multimedia, Networks, and Business Communication Suites to name a few.

Says Lars Lindén, Head of Ericsson Region sub-Saharan Africa: “LTE/4G is the continued evolution of the 2G and 3G networks and is an integral part of the full service broadband concept. As the next generation of mobile communication technology, it enables the fast transfer of the increasing amounts of data in an efficient and cost-effective way, optimizing the use of the scarce frequency spectrum. High-speed data over mobile networks enables a rich suite of services and applications – multimedia-based, business-centric, or just for enjoyment.  The increased speed and significantly decreased response times (latency), means that consumers can enjoy a wide range of applications such as real-time multiplayer online action gaming, social media collaboration and video conferencing effortlessly and while on the move.”

Just like the Internet, the larger and faster your “pipe”, the faster you can access data. Downloading a song like Waka Waka (the popular football anthem) or a three minute music video for example, on a slower network can take several minutes; however, using a 100Mbps connection, these can be downloaded in under a second. This ultra fast speed, coupled with new handsets from Sony Ericsson and S Ericsson, opens the way to a new exciting multi media world.  Imagine the possibilities and the access that such speeds will provide to you in a multi-application rich future. How many such clips keep you ‘hanging’ when browsing the Web of today?

To date, Ericsson has signed commercial LTE contracts with five major global operators; AT&T and Verizon in the US, TeliaSonera in Norway and Sweden, MetroPCS in the US and DoCoMo in Japan.  Ericsson has been driving open standards and has had the highest impact on the released LTE specifications. Ericsson expects to hold over 25 percent of all essential patents for LTE, making it the largest patent holder in the industry. Additionally, Ericsson Research won an award in May this year for the best contribution to LTE standards at the Informa LTE awards 2010, adding another feather in its 4G technology cap.

"The use of mobile broadband is growing quickly, especially driven by consumers powered with smart phones and connected laptops and we at Ericsson envision 50 billion connected devices by 2020. The aim of this demo is to show true end-to-end solutions in terms of user services that operators are demanding for our customer now and not so far into the future. With the combination of our technology leadership and services capabilities, we are equipped to support our customers in building networks that manage the increased usage while at the same time providing consumers with the best experience,” concludes Lindén.

 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 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 206 billion (USD 29 billion) in 2009. Founded in 1876 with the headquarters in Stockholm, Sweden, Ericsson is listed on OMX NASDAQ, Stockholm and NASDAQ New York.