Ericsson setting up new Global Service Delivery Center in Lebanon

The new center will initially employ about 100 people and will serve regional and global customers.

Its location in the Middle East means Lebanon offers a central position and cultural capabilities to Ericsson's global organization. Its 17 universities delivering technical diplomas provide highly skilled, multi-lingual professionals who work across the whole region. The country also offers a very good climate for new company investments and establishments.

"I am impressed of the business growth of the region Middle East and Africa", says Fredrik T. Strand, vice president and head of Service Delivery within Ericsson. "We are a global company and our service delivery organization provides a global structure that includes local capabilities in order to meet our customer's demands."

Initially about 100 persons will be employed during 2007, mainly engineers to deliver services in the areas of systems integration and network & technology consulting.

The new Global Service Delivery Center (GSDC) in Beirut is a consequence of the expansion of Ericsson's services business, and is in line with Ericsson's plans to continue to develop global and local services and delivery capabilities.

The current Ericsson services organization employs about 23 000 professionals worldwide. About 6500 of these employees work in Global Service Delivery Centers.

Ericsson has 18 GSDCs which are designed to ensure business readiness for the global market. They support global and regional demand by providing global expertise cost-efficiently, supporting the expansion of Ericsson's services business.

Ericsson has activities and operations in all 14 countries in Middle East and offices in 11 of them (Iraq, Yemen and Afghanistan are exceptions) employing around 1800 persons. Today, Ericsson does business with more then 20 operators in the region.

Ericsson is shaping the future of Mobile and Broadband Internet communications through its continuous technology leadership. Providing innovative solutions in more than 140 countries, Ericsson is helping to create the most powerful communication companies in the world.