Ericsson Sees 3G Phone Sales in Japan in Late 2001

STOCKHOLM - Swedish telecoms equipment maker Ericsson said on Monday it expected its 3G mobile phones to be sold in Japan in volume in the autumn of 2001.

"Ericsson will offer terminals in Japan when 3G rolls out during autumn of 2001,"' Program Manager for Strategic New Business Anna Hultman told a news briefing.

Ericsson, will start installing a 3G network in Japan in May next year, Hultman said.

With data transmission speeds much higher than over fixed lines now, 3G will enable mobile phone users to stay permanently connected to the Internet and see live video and advanced graphics on handsets.

Ericsson is also the world's third biggest mobile handset maker after Nokia and Motorola, although unlike its rivals, the handset business is making a large loss and is not expected to return to profit until 2002.

Europe will have to wait until the beginning of 2002 for 3G handsets from Ericsson but when they come out, they will also work with the current popular second generation telephony GSM, Hultman said.

Ericsson expects that in 2003 more people will surf the Internet with their mobile phones than through fixed line connections, and that by 2005 there will be one billion mobile Internet users.