Ericsson to invest $1.5bn in eco-4G research

Ericsson is set to invest $1.5 billion researching green 4G wireless services in South Korea.

The Sweden-based telecoms giant said the bulk of the five-year investment will be spent on establishing a research and development centre for its LTE (long term evolution) 4G wireless system.

Research will focus on developing sustainable climate solutions using 4G technologies, Ericsson said.

The move is being seen as a stinging attack in the battle for 4G supremacy against Intel’s already fading WiMax technology,

Ericsson’s workforce in Korea will increase from 80 to almost 1,000 with the investment, which was welcomed by South Korea’s president, Lee Myung-Bak.

“Ericsson could play a vital role for Korea’s evolution in the ICT market and for Korean export companies,” Lee said.

“We are certain that by developments in the ICT area we will take needed steps to a more sustainable future.

“We expect to see more of Ericsson in the Korean business landscape.”

Ericsson recently won contracts $1.7 billion to provide 2G and 3G mobile communication equipment to China Mobile and China Unicom.