Cisco considers mobile pacts with Nokia, Ericsson
By Reuters
Special to CNET News.com
December 3, 1999, 9:20 a.m. PT
STOCKHOLM, Sweden--Cisco Systems said it would like to form alliances with
telecom equipment makers Nokia and Ericsson, similar to its wireless Internet deal
with their U.S. rival, Motorola.
Cisco's northern European head, Theo Wegbrans, said in an interview he would welcome
furthering the partnership with both of the equipment makers, despite the fact that they are
competing with Motorola and each other.
"We would welcome a deeper partnership with Ericsson
and Nokia. Of course everyone would prefer to be exclusive
to us but that's not our business model. Our business
model is to encourage partnerships in complementary
areas," he said.
Mobile phone firm Motorola linked with Cisco Systems in
February to develop wireless Internet service. The two
companies planned to invest up to $1 billion on the project
over the next four to five years.
Wegbrans said in Stockholm last week that Cisco believed
it was a logical complement to Ericsson, which claims
about 40 percent of the market for mobile technology.
Wegbrans said the competency which both Nokia and
Ericsson offer in wireless technology is attractive to Cisco,
but declined to speculate on what types of cooperation
were possible. Cisco already sells some of its products
through Ericsson and Nokia, and a partnership would go beyond that.
"We would have to discuss these things with them--sit around a table with them and find
out where their new technology investments are going?so that we can achieve further
integration," he said.
Ericsson information head Pia Gideon declined to comment on Wegbran's comments. |
