Ericsson

Ericsson is one of the world's leading providers of telco equipment and related services to mobile and fixed network operators.

The Swedish mobile-infrastructure and networking giant was founded in a telegraph equipment repair shop by Lars Magnus Ericsson in 1876, and its headquarters is in Stockholm, Sweden.

The company's global headcount is now 74,011 and it is ranked 289th on the 2008 Fortune Global 500.

Aside from core businesses in network infrastructure and various wireless technologies, Ericsson has also expanded to offer airborne, terrestrial and marine radar systems, plus various products that integrate copper and optical cables, and power networks.

Over 1,000 networks in 140 countries use Ericsson network equipment and 40 percent of all mobile calls are made through the company's systems.

For the third quarter of 2008 ended Sep. 30, Ericsson posted a 28 percent year-on-year drop in profit to 2.8 billion kronor (US$377.2 million) from 4 billion kronor (US$538.8 million).