A new partnership with enterprise software powerhouse SAP was announced.The two companies will jointly market and sell cloud-based,machine-to-machine (M2M) solutions and services to enterprises viaoperators around the globe. The solutions will be based on a combinedsoftware-as-a-service (SaaS) offering from Ericsson and SAP within M2M.
Better connectivity and consumer demands are together driving continuousinnovation in the industry. "By the end of 2013, more than 50% of phoneshipments will be smartphones, driven by more affordable models,"predicted Ericsson President and CEO Vestberg during the annual pressconference, noting that users appreciate having apps and data seamlesslyavailable on multiple devices. The cross-communication between machines,people, and content is changing the way we as humans behave, and the wayservice providers do business. Vestberg foresees that the industry willsee more pricing models - tiered, shared, and bundled, as well asfurther expansion into digital services to find new revenues.
"As we have the internet in our pockets, our virtual and real worldsare coming together. Online interaction enriches our living, working andentertainment and breaks down barriers of time and place. By the end of2013, there will be more mobile internet users than fixed internetusers," he said, adding another prediction that 2013 will be the yearLTE subscriptions exceed 100 million.
With its high speed and capacity, an LTE network can enable delivery ofhigh-quality content, especially video, without buffering. The launch of LTE Broadcast is Ericsson's new offering for operators and their media partners to capture new revenues, by providing premium services with guaranteed quality and cost-efficient delivery over LTE. Vestberg
