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Ericsson and Telstra partner to enhance and expand LTE innovation

STOCKHOLM, SWEDEN — (Marketwire) — 02/25/13 —

* Telstra and Ericsson agree to extend strategic partnership to deliver
world-class LTE experience for Telstra users and expand Telstra-s LTE
network
across Australia

* Advanced technology trial and subsequent deployment of LTE-Advanced
Carrier
Aggregation in 900MHz and 1800MHz spectrum bands

* LTE heterogeneous network trial and LTE Broadcast trial to further
enhance
Telstra-s network

Telstra and Ericsson (NASDAQ: ERIC) today announced the renewal of their
longstanding strategic partnership to deliver a world-class LTE experience
for
Telstra-s users. The renewed contract, announced at the Mobile World
Congress,
will include an expansion of Telstra-s LTE network across Australia,
reaching
more Australians with improved coverage, capacity and availability.

The partnership also includes the implementation of a program of advanced
technology trials – of LTE-Advanced Carrier Aggregation, LTE heterogeneous
networks and LTE Broadcast – to further enhance Telstra-s network.

Nearly 1.6 million mobile subscribers have joined Telstra over the past 12
months and data usage on its Next G network is doubling each year.

David Thodey, Chief Executive Officer of Telstra, says: “Telstra is very
proud
of the work that we are undertaking with Ericsson to ensure Australia
remains at
the forefront of mobile connectivity. We believe these initiatives are a
way of
efficiently maintaining our high quality network and meeting sustained,
growing
customer demand.”

By combining spectrum assets for LTE networks – such as the use of the
1800MHz
and 900MHz bands – the LTE-Advanced Carrier Aggregation trial will pave the
way
for future improvements in capacity and coverage.

Ericsson-s coordinated solution for small cells in heterogeneous networks
ensures high-quality capacity and connectivity in even the most densely
populated city areas. The Telstra trial will examine how small-cell
technology
can improve the future scalability and densification of its LTE network.

In the third trial for 2013, for the LTE Broadcast solution, Ericsson will
deploy Evolved Multimedia Broadcast Multicast Service (eMBMS) technology
into
Telstra-s live network. As part of the trial, premium video and file-based
content will be broadcast over the LTE network to test how video and other
content can be more efficiently delivered through application of dynamic
offload, particularly in dense consumption scenarios.

Ericsson President and CEO Hans Vestberg says: “Under this agreement,
Ericsson
continues as Telstra-s prime vendor of 3G and 4G RAN technology. The trials
for
Telstra will provide insights applicable not only on the Australian market
but
also globally. For example, the heterogeneous networks trial will be of
interest
to operators around the world who want to ensure capacity and connectivity
in
densely populated city areas. And the LTE Broadcast trial will show how
Ericsson
technology can deliver media content efficiently over LTE.”

The agreement includes provision of hardware, software, customer service,
construction services and the innovative technology trials.

During Mobile World Congress 2013 in Barcelona, Ericsson showcases its
combined
technology and services leadership for the ICT industry. Our solutions
deliver
superior network performance in the field, enable complete customer
experience
management, and simplify and automate operations workflows – thereby
leading to
operational excellence. We show how the Networked Society comes to life –
what
it will mean for the industry and how it will enable our customers to
capture
growth opportunities.

NOTES TO EDITORS

Download high-resolution photos and broadcast-quality video at

Ericsson is the world-s leading provider of communications technology and
services. We are enabling the Networked Society with efficient real-time
solutions that allow us all to study, work and live our lives more freely,
in
sustainable societies around the world.

Our offering comprises services, software and infrastructure within
Information
and Communications Technology for telecom operators and other industries.
Today
more than 40 percent of the world-s mobile traffic goes through Ericsson
networks and we support customers- networks servicing more than 2.5 billion
subscribers.

We operate in 180 countries and employ more than 100,000 people. Founded in
1876, Ericsson is headquartered in Stockholm, Sweden. In 2011 the company-s
net
sales were SEK 226.9 billion (USD 35.0 billion). Ericsson is listed on
NASDAQ
OMX, Stockholm and NASDAQ, New York stock exchanges.

Ericsson and Telstra partner to enhance and expand LTE innovation:

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Source: Ericsson via Thomson Reuters ONE

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