Ericsson was founded in April 1876 in Stockholm Sweden. Ever since then, the com­pany has been on a journey to create a smarter and more livable world. Today, we perceive in our daily lives the massive consequence of this transfor­mation, which has had a significantly positive impact on people, businesses and societies.

 

The company had its first historical milestone in Middle East and Africa in the 1890s with the instal­lation of the first telephone line in the Dolmabahçe Palace, in Istanbul Turkey. This line is still active today. Ericsson’s presence in the region grew with the first telephone exchange in Egypt in 1897, and the com­mencement of sales of telephone receivers in Ethiopia in 1894. Telephony services in Turkey and Egypt grew throughout the 1920s and in that time “Ericsson” be­came a generic term for a telephone in the Middle East.

 

Throughout the decades, Ericsson has always brought its latest innovative services and solutions to the region, building network infrastructure and growing the connectivity potential across different markets, while supporting operators to overcome business challenges and achieve their strategic objec­tives in new areas.

 

The company introduced many firsts in the Middle East and North East Africa, including some of the first GSM networks, the first third generation networks, and radio dot system installations.

 

Other firsts include the first LTE-A network in Lebanon, the introduction of the first radio dot system in the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia, and the first non-operator industry transformations to the Networked Society in the region.

 

“The progression towards the Networked Society, in which everything that can benefit from being connect­ed will be connected, is continuous in our region. There is still a way to go, but we can see significant steps being taken across several countries in the region. These in­vestments will empower more and more entities to har­ness technology in a way that enables them to monetize the transformation, and become change makers in their own right. Our goal is to attain and maintain a certain stage of infrastructure maturity, which will lead the re­gion to reap the benefits of the integrated and digital Networked Society,” said Rafiah Ibrahim, President of Ericsson for the Middle East and Africa.

 

These historic milestones mark Ericsson’s com­mitment to the region, and the innovation is testa­ment to it. Ericsson’s aim today is to continue paving the way for life in the Networked Society, empower­ing individuals through technology, transforming in­dustries to deliver more value and advancing society through sustainable development.