Ericsson signs global music content agreement with the UK based independent music distributor, Pocket Group

May 22, 2006

Ericsson (NASDAQ: ERICY) and Pocket Group have signed a global agreement allowing Ericsson to distribute ringtones and full track downloads from Pocket Group’s independent labels.

Pocket Group is one of Europe’s leading distributors of independent mobile music content working with over 300 music labels. The contract gives Ericsson the ability to provide operators with music content from leading artists, such as Prodigy, Katie Melua, Franz Ferdinand, Basement Jaxx and Fat Boy Slim.

Ericsson’s hosted offering allows operators to introduce music services, such as full track downloads, ringtones, ringback tones and video tones, quickly, simply and cost-efficiently. The setup also allows content providers, including Pocket Group, to focus on their core business of acquiring and delivering credible mobile content while Ericsson provides the operators with a complete managed service. Entertainment and personalization services help mobile operators attract new subscribers and keep existing customers loyal.

Erik Oldmark, Vice President, Strategy, Marketing and Portfolio Management, Global Services, Ericsson, says: "Independent labels as the ones provided by Pocket Group are important to Ericsson in our ambition to provide operators with a broad selection of content.

"We choose to work with Pocket Group because they’re one of Europe’s leading distributors of independent music. They will be working closely with us to develop and manage local music content by acquiring rights to popular artists within specific territories" Oldmark says.

Andrew Hull, Managing Director, Pocket Group, says: "We are excited about working with Ericsson and supporting their operations on a global basis. Ericsson has an exceptional customer base and along with its world-leading wireless and telecommunications solutions experience they make an ideal partner for Pocket group. Together we can provide a compelling solution that will enable operators to quickly develop mobile content offerings tailored to their specific local needs across all mobile content types - from wallpapers through to full-track audio and video"

Ericsson’s white label music service is today in commercial operation with more operators than any other personalized mobile music service in the world. Ericsson also offers other hosted white label and branded portals complete with today’s most sought after music, video, gaming, and entertainment content. Additional localized rosters of content partners are available to suit individual markets and regions.

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.

Read more at http://www.ericsson.com.


About Pocket Group
The Pocket Group is UK’s leading distributor of mobile content related to independent rights owners across the music, film, TV and lifestyle sectors. Based in London and with offices in Asia, Pocket Group works directly with over 40 operators across the world. For more information about the Pocket Group visit www.pocketgroup.co.uk.


About Ericsson Managed Services
Ericsson has the telecom industry’s most comprehensive managed services offerings, ranging from designing, building, operating and managing day-to-day operations of a customer’s network, to hosting service applications and enablers, as well as providing network coverage and capacity on demand. As the undisputed leader in managed services, Ericsson has officially announced over 80 managed services contracts with operators worldwide since 2002. In all current managed services contracts, excluding hosting, Ericsson is managing networks that together serve 60 million subscribers worldwide.

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