GENEVA, February 12 /PRNewswire/ --     As part of the Millennium Villages project, Ericsson (NASDAQ:ERIC) and
pan-African operator Zain have built a green-powered site in a remote village
in northeastern Kenya. With the reliable and affordable mobile communication
the site provides, the villagers of Dertu can make calls, access health
services and education and improve their economic future.

Using a combination of wind and solar power addresses the two key
deterrents to building telecommunication infrastructure in remote areas:
operating costs and power supply reliability.

Jan Embro, President of Ericsson in sub-Saharan Africa, says: "The ideal
climate conditions mean we expect to see an 80 percent reduction in
energy-related operational costs for the site, compared with using diesel
generators. Green sites like this one have great potential for solving the
power-grid challenge across Africa to bring mobile communication to the
poorest of the poor so they can improve their lives and break the poverty
cycle."

Chris Gabriel, CEO of Zain Africa, added: "With reliable and affordable
mobile voice and data communication, Dertu's nomadic pastoral community of
more than 5000 people has the chance to build on the economic and social
gains it has made since Ericsson and Zain, partnering with the Earth
Institute, first brought mobile communication to the region through a
temporary network installed last year."

Since then, rather than making the 100km journey by dirt road to the
larger city of Garissa, many people from nearby communities go to Dertu to
make calls, access improved health services and take advantage of new
businesses ­ making the village an economic hub for the region.

Ahmed Mohamed, the science coordinator for the Millennium Villages
project in Dertu, says: "The people of Dertu say the arrival of the mobile
network is the day when Dertu was reborn; reborn because of business
development. Since the mobile network came, the pastoralists who earn their
living from livestock just call the neighboring town for the price of cattle,
and the moment they know they can easily take the animals to the market or,
if the price is low, the animals continue grazing. It's wonderful, wonderful.
There is no greater support you can give a community than that."

Pastoralists are also using their mobile phones to spread information
about where to find good pasture and water, which is often hard to come by in
the extremely arid region. Phones have also been used to find child herders
who have become lost roaming over vast distances in search of feed.

The social impact has also been significant, bringing families closer to
distant relatives, providing vital local connections for better health care
and remote education, and a way to communicate quickly with government
agencies to ensure timely relief in emergency situations, such as damage to
the village bore, the only water supply.

The more than 3000 phone minutes logged daily have also created a market
for items such as SIM cards, second-hand phones, scratch cards, charging and
accessories, while local business people can slash transport costs through
mobile ordering and invoicing.

Today, there are more than 4 billion mobile subscriptions globally. The
Dertu experience demonstrates that connecting the next billion people, even
those in the most remote parts of the world, can be achieved with a positive
business case while ensuring services are affordable for those at the bottom
of the economic pyramid. Key to ongoing success will be combining innovative
solutions, including green technology, public-private partnerships and new
business models.

The Dertu project also exemplifies the strong contribution connectivity
makes to the Millennium Villages objectives of reducing poverty and improving
access to health and education. The Millennium Village project, which
comprises villages in 10 countries in sub-Saharan Africa, is bringing mobile
communication and the internet to more than half a million people.

Ericsson's and Zain's contribution to the Millennium Villages project has
been recognized by a nomination in the Best Use of Mobile for Social and
Economic Development category of the GSM Association's Global Mobile Award
2009. Ericsson's energy-lean, hybrid diesel battery solution has also been
shortlisted in the Best Network Technology Advance category.

Visit Ericsson in Hall 8 at the Mobile World Congress in Barcelona to
learn more about the company's role in the Millennium Villages project, its
sustainable energy solutions and how telecom can contribute to social and
economic development as well as the creation of a more carbon-lean economy.

Notes to editors:

Read more on the introduction of the mobile network in Dertu, Kenya:
http://www.ericsson.com/press/doc/cr08-mw.pdf

Photos:
http://www.ericsson.com/ericsson/press/photos/millennium_vilages.shtml

Ericsson's multimedia content is available in the Corporate
Responsibility area of the broadcast room:
http://www.ericsson.com/broadcast_room

Ericsson to launch mobile Innovation Center in Africa:
http://www.ericsson.com/press/releases/20080925-1254235.shtml

Ericsson is the world's leading provider of technology and services to
telecom operators. The market leader in 2G and 3G mobile technologies,
Ericsson supplies communications services and manages networks that serve
more than 250 million subscribers. The company's portfolio comprises mobile
and fixed network infrastructure, and broadband and multimedia solutions for
operators, enterprises and developers. The Sony Ericsson joint venture
provides consumers with feature-rich personal mobile devices.

Ericsson is advancing its vision of 'communication for all' through
innovation, technology, and sustainable business solutions. Working in 175
countries, more than 70,000 employees generated revenue of USD 27 billion
(SEK 209 billion) in 2008. Founded in 1876 and headquartered in Stockholm,
Sweden, Ericsson is listed on OMX Nordic Exchange Stockholm and NASDAQ

For more information, visit http://www.ericsson.com or
http://www.ericsson.mobi.

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    Phone: +46-10-719-69-92
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