Apparently the Ericsson-Sony handset joint venture will be based, not in London as originally planned, but in Lund, Sweden, according to the following article:
Ericsson To License Handset Technology To Other Cos
STOCKHOLM -- Swedish telecommunications equipment maker Telefon AB LM Ericsson (ERICY) said Friday that it has begun licensing mobile phone technology to other manufacturers of phones and wireless devices.
Ericsson, the world's largest manufacturer of wireless equipment, said it has created a new company, Ericsson Mobile Platforms, to handle the licensing operations.
The company will license complete component specifications, printed circuit board layouts and software. It will also help customize products for clients' devices.
An Ericsson spokeswoman said the licensing has been under way since the beginning of the year and the company already has customers.
The products will allow manufacturers to launch new products with limited research and development investment. Manufacturers will instead be able to focus on design, developing applications and branding, Ericsson said.
"We see the handset market going through the same transformation as the PC industry did earlier," Jan Uddenfeldt, Ericsson's senior vice president for technology, said in a statement.
"In the near future, few companies will deliver platform chipsets, but many companies will deliver handsets."
Ericsson's announcement follows rival Motorola Inc.'s (MOT) announcement in late July that it would aggressively market its cellphone chips to other manufacturers, including competitors such as Nokia Corp. (NOK).
Motorola had previously sold some handset components to competitors, but had not shared its semiconductors.
Ericsson is also preparing to spin off most of its handset operations on Oct. 1 into a joint venture with Japanese electronics maker Sony Corp. (SNE).
The new technology-licensing company, along with its Bluetooth technology development unit, will remain a part of Ericsson. The new company will be based in Lund, Sweden and will begin operating on Sept. 1. |
