Ericsson to develop and host 3's music service in Sweden and Denmark

Ericsson (NASDAQ: ERIC) has been selected by leading operator 3 to develop and host its award-winning mobile music service, 3Music, in Sweden and Denmark.

Under the agreement Ericsson will have end-to-end responsibility for 3's world-leading music service, including systems integration, operations and development of new features. The service will give more than 885,000 Danish and Swedish customers seamless access to music-related content from a variety of international and local record labels directly via their mobile devices.

The superior experience also includes ring tones, wallpapers and downloads and streaming of full-length audio, video and play lists, with the option to access the service via either mobile or web portals via Dual Delivery. Ericsson will take over the responsibility for the music service as from the first quarter of 2008.

Peder Ramel, CEO at 3 Scandinavia, says: "Ericsson's hosted solution is the next step in the development of our award-winning service. It allows us to focus on our customers and provide them with world-class content cost-effectively."

Mikael Bäckström, President Ericsson Nordic and Baltics, says: "Ericsson's mobile music solution is designed to make it easier for operators to offer attractive content to their customers and hosting allows launch of new services quickly and cost-effectively. We are excited about partnering with 3 who is a very innovative player in the service and multimedia area. This contract takes our successful relationship to a new level.

The enhanced music solution for 3 leverages on both Ericsson's existing solution for mobile music that has been successfully delivered to more than 20 customers worldwide and over ten years of experience in managed services.