Sweden Ideal 3G Mobile Test Market for U.S. Companies

23rd March , 2004

Europe : Sweden, recognized worldwide for its leadership in wireless technologies, has opened its doors to U.S. and international companies wanting to test market their 3G-related technologies, products and services. With virtually nationwide 3G (Third Generation Cellular Phone Network) coverage in Sweden by operators 3, TeliaSonera and Vodafone, companies wanting to prepare for the upcoming 1 billion potential subscribers in the next few years can now utilize Sweden to develop, test, and refine their business models, management, and deployment strategies. For U.S. companies interested in Sweden as a 3G test market or looking for more information, contact Invest in Sweden Agency at 310-204-6790, ext. 165.

"The increased bandwidth of 3G networks combined with the processing power in 3G phones will allow them to function much more like a PC with Web browsing, e-mail and other applications," stated Goran Eriksson, director, Los Angeles Branch Office -- Invest in Sweden Agency. "ISA's role is to assist companies with getting their 3G development and testing programs started by assessing their needs and then providing a conduit to organizations in Sweden such as Ericsson, TeliaSonera and various government agencies."

3G in Sweden

When TeliaSonera Sweden opened its 3G network earlier this month, users gained access to mobile Internet at broadband speed. The increased bandwidth of 3G allows for better and faster services in a number of areas such as improved e-mail with attachments, Web browsing, and many new services such as news, sports and video clips from the Swedish Song Contest. Certain 3G mobile phones also feature video calling, where you can talk and see the person you are talking to in real time.

TeliaSonera Sweden's mobile network covers 99 percent of the Swedish population. TeliaSonera Sweden's 3G network currently covers 96 percent of the Swedish municipalities and 75 percent of the population. If a user is outside the 3G coverage area, ongoing calls and data connections are automatically moved to the GSM network. Combined, this makes TeliaSonera Sweden's GSM network and 3G network the strongest mobile network in Europe.

Ideal Applications for 3G Test Market

-- Database Applications

-- Customer Relationship Management

-- Inventory Lookups

-- Multi-Media Messaging

-- Streaming Video/Audio

-- E-mail w/attachments

-- Web Browsing

-- Location-Based Services

Additional Sweden Facts

-- Ericsson and TeliaSonera hold nearly one-third of the major patents for 3G.

-- In Sweden, over 90 percent of the population own a mobile phone, 78 percent have access to the Internet, over 28 percent use broadband and 25 percent of Web users access the Internet from their mobile devices.

-- Sweden's "Wireless Valley" is home to the world's wireless technology leaders. The primary companies involved in the development and research of wireless technologies all have offices and research centers located in Sweden, including: Hewlett Packard, IBM, Intel, Microsoft, Motorola, Nokia, Siemens and Sun Microsystems.

-- On average, "time-to-takeoff" for new products takes about half the time in Scandinavian countries (4 years) as in Mediterranean countries (7.4 years). 2003 Informs, Marketing Science.

-- The 2000, 2001 and 2002 IDC/World Times Information Society Index ranked Sweden the No. 1 IT nation in the world, saying it maintains the strongest position to take full advantage of the Information Revolution with its advanced information, computer, Internet and social infrastructures.

About Invest in Sweden Agency

Invest in Sweden Agency was established by the Swedish government to help attract and facilitate foreign direct investment in Sweden -- Europe's leading IT cluster and a world leader in wireless and mobile Internet. Sweden provides a strong industrial base, sophisticated multinational customers, active utilization of information technology in both the public and private sectors, an advanced infrastructure, and a highly skilled workforce.

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