Ericsson Launches New Products To Connect Appliances With Net
An INTERACTIVE JOURNAL News Roundup
Swedish telecommunications giant Telefon AB L.M. Ericsson said it is launching a range of products designed to connect surveillance devices and other consumer and small-business appliances to Internet services.
The products will enable network operators to implement new services for Internet access, remote surveillance, security, and energy control using one common platform and communications architecture, Ericsson said.
As Internet and wireless networks converge, homes and small offices will be equipped with service gateways functioning as the integration point for a range of services. Ericsson's products include an "e-box" service gateway, which has an open architecture allowing it to connect to appliances through various interfaces.
Rolf Johansson, marketing manager for electronic services at Ericsson Radio Systems, said he expects the new products will generate sales of one billion krona (US$125 million) a year by 2000. Further ahead, he reckons the potential world-wide market for these systems is comparable with the mobile communications market.
Lars Soederfjell, analyst with Myrberg Brokerage in Stockholm, said the one-billion krona forecast may be realistic but he isn't so sure whether the potential market is as big as Ericsson claims. But he said the fact that Ericsson appears to be taking a lead in this new market segment is pleasing.
"The interesting thing is that Ericsson for the first time is showing that it has a technical edge in this area," he said. The fact that Ericsson is taking this step is more important than the expected sales, he said. |
