STOCKHOLM, SWEDEN--(Marketwire - Jan 12, 2012) -

* Ericsson's Chief Intellectual Property Officer, Kasim Alfalahi, will report directly to President and CEO Hans Vestberg

* Monetizing its entire patent portfolio and building on its technology leadership and R&D investments, as stated at the Capital Markets Day on November 9, 2011

* Any company using cellular connectivity needs a license to Ericsson's industry leading patent portfolio comprising 27,000 patents

Ericsson (NASDAQ: [ ERIC ]) has the industry's strongest wireless IPR portfolio, comprising 27,000 granted patents that cover a wide range of technologies, from wireless access (2G, 3G and 4G) to WLAN and the whole Information and Communications Technology (ICT) value chain. As wireless access is now being added in new types of devices, Ericsson is reorganizing its Licensing and Patent Development department with the focus on further monetizing its IPR assets.

Hans Vestberg, President and CEO of Ericsson, says: "The ICT industry is built on standardized and shared technologies, making it possible to create a global mass market for mobile telephony and mobile broadband. Today's 6 billion mobile phone subscriptions, and close to 1 billion mobile broadband subscriptions, would not be possible without this industry mentality.

"As we are entering the Networked Society, we will see built-in wireless access beyond traditional devices like phones, laptops and tablets, providing new services to the consumers. This provides an interesting business opportunity for us, having this industry's strongest patent portfolio, as any company or manufacturer that wants to get in there will need an agreement with Ericsson."

Ericsson's Chief Intellectual Property Officer, Kasim Alfalahi, who currently reports to Ericsson's CTO within Group Function Technology and Portfolio Management, will report directly to President and CEO Hans Vestberg. The reorganization is effective immediately.

Kasim Alfalahi says: "Ericsson complies with, and endorses, terms that are fair, reasonable and non-discriminatory for its patent licensing programs, which make standard-essential patents widely available. This makes Ericsson the partner of choice for new entrants to the market, as well as established companies seeking to license technology at fair and commercially viable rates."

Ericsson is today a net receiver of royalties and has signed more than 90 license agreements. With new devices and other industries entering the world of connectivity, Ericsson targets to grow its IPR revenues above the SEK 4.6 billion net revenue generated in 2010, as stated at the company's Capital Markets Day on November 9, 2011.

Notes to editors:

Essential patents and LTE:

[ www.ericsson.com/res/thecompany/docs/corpinfo/LTE_essential_patent_backgrounder.pdf ]

Our multimedia content is available at the broadcast room: [ www.ericsson.com/broadcast_room ]

(Picture of Kasim Alfalahi and press release as PDF as attachements)

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 2 billion subscribers and has the leading position in managed services. The company's portfolio comprises 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 of being the "prime driver in an all- communicating world" through innovation, technology, and sustainable business solutions. Working in 180 countries, more than 90,000 employees generated revenue of SEK 203.3 billion (USD 28.2 billion) in 2010. Founded in 1876 with the headquarters in Stockholm, Sweden, Ericsson is listed on NASDAQ OMX, Stockholm and NASDAQ New York.

 www.ericsson.com www.twitter.com/ericssonpress www.facebook.com/technologyforgood www.youtube.com/ericssonpress 

Press release as PDF: [ http://hugin.info/1061/R/1576822/491473.pdf ]

Picture of Kasim Alfalahi: [ http://hugin.info/1061/R/1576822/491468.jpg ]

This announcement is distributed by Thomson Reuters on behalf of Thomson Reuters clients. The owner of this announcement warrants that:

(i) the releases contained herein are protected by copyright and other applicable laws; and

(ii) they are solely responsible for the content, accuracy and originality of the information contained therein.

Source: Ericsson via Thomson Reuters ONE

[HUG#1576822]