Ericsson Opens Branch Office In Brunei
By Azaraimy HH

Bandar Seri Begawan - Ericsson yesterday announced the opening of a branch office in Brunei Darussalam, stating that its foray into Brunei signifies Ericsson's long-term commitment to the country, and to the growth and development of its telecommunications industry.

The Swedish company recently won a contract for the deployment of DST's 3G network, which is expected to be available to local subscribers some time in the second quarter next year.

The office, near the Airport Mall, houses about 20 staff, comprising both local and foreign employees, and for the near-term will focus on servicing and supporting DST.

Ericsson has been selected by DST to deploy its new nationwide WCDMA/HSPA (High-Speed Packet Access) network. With the implementation, DST expects its new network to considerably increase mobile data download speed in Brunei, with speeds initially up to 3.6Mbps, and in the future up to 14.4Mbps.

Ericsson sees Brunei as a booming mobile market with penetration reaching almost 80 per cent in 2007. In contrast, fixed broadband penetration stands at around five per cent, with 41 per cent of Brunei's population being Internet users.

Ann Emilson, president and country manager of Ericsson Singapore said, "The Brunei office opening is significant in Ericsson's efforts to extend our global footprint, especially in high growth markets. Brunei, with its relatively high annual gross domestic product per capita, is a strong consumer of telecommunications services. There is an eagerness to have the most modern infrastructure available. Ericsson now wants to play a key role in advancing- Brunei's telecommunication industry and this office opening coupled with our DST team are very timely."

Ericsson said it focuses on supporting Brunei's operators in developing the country's high speed data communications and broadband access for both fixed and mobile. This will help the operators expand their reach and profitability in this growing market.

"The opening of an Ericsson branch office in Brunei is a major breakthrough in the bilateral commercial relations between Sweden and Brunei," said the Ambassador of Sweden, Par Ahlberger.

"This long-term commitment by Ericsson in the development of the telecommunication industry in Brunei is very welcomed, and I am confident that other commercial projects will follow," Ahlberger added.

Ericsson said its Singapore office will continue to play a supporting role in driving the Brunei branch office's operations.

"Project engineers from the Singapore team will be based in Brunei from time to time, and the two will continue to collaborate closely in sales and marketing, implementation and support.

"Prior to the establishment of our Brunei office, Ericsson's presence in the country was supported out of Singapore," Emilson said. -- Courtesy of Borneo Bulletin

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