Vision for 3G evolution

At the Ericsson Strategy & Technology Summit in

,

President and CEO Carl-Henric Svanberg said the growing demand for mobile content and the handset's emerging role as a media channel will pave the way for a faster deployment of 3G and High Speed Downlink Packet Access (HSDPA).

"Users demand more mobile content, operators are looking for new revenue sources and media companies need new distribution channels. This is in line with our vision of an all-communicating world and we are confident that the mobile content industry has wonderful potential," he added.

Close to achieving two billion users and 30 percent world penetration, the mobile telecommunications industry has become an attractive market for bandwidth-intensive applications and content, such as music, gaming and TV.

In this context, HSDPA will enable mobile operators to take advantage of this growing revenue stream. HSDPA is included in the latest version of Wideband Code Division Multiple Access (WCDMA) and provides peak data rates of up to 14Mbps.

In conjunction with the summit, Svanberg announced that in a strategic move in the field of research and development co-operation, Ericsson has signed the first research agreement with Shanghai Research Centre for Wireless Communications (SHRCWC).

Under the agreement, Ericsson will collaborate with SHRCWC in undertaking research projects on future telecommunications technology such as Super 3G and 4G.

During the

, Mats H Olsson, President of Ericsson Greater China, confirmed Ericsson's long-term commitment to

, announcing a $1 billion investment for the next five years.