Ericsson and Rational Software in agreement

Ericsson and Rational Software in agreement on integrated software development solution Ericsson and Rational Software Corporation today announced a strategic partnership under which Rational will provide Ericsson development teams worldwide with an integrated set of software development tools, processes and services. Ericsson will use Rational's integrated solution through the full development lifecycle to create software faster in both Web-based and embedded systems for wireline and wireless communications. "At Ericsson, we depend on our ability to develop software," says Jaak Urmi at Director, SW Technology Management at Ericsson. "Rational provides the most comprehensive and integrated solution available for software development. Using it makes our worldwide development teams even more effective. With Rational's solution we are significantly reducing development cycles and increasing the quality and stability of our applications, increasing our competitive advantage." Under the partnership, Rational will provide Ericsson with a process framework for software development supported by Rational's integrated family of development tools. Rational's solution unites every member of a development team in the effective application of the proven best practices of software development. Ericsson development teams in more than 15 countries are using over 17,000 licenses of Rational's products. "We chose Rational as our preferred partner based on our experience with them over the past few years, and because of Rational's leadership in the science of software development, the market-leading position of each of Rational's products, and the level of integration among Rational's products," Jaak Urmi continues. "This extended partnership with Rational will accelerate our move toward commercial standards and enable us to further focus on what our engineers do best - creating the world's leading communication systems." Mike Devlin, president of Rational Software, says "It is our mission to ensure the success of companies such as Ericsson by providing them with the best available tools and approaches for building and maintaining the software on which their businesses depend. Customers want a solution that scales to support teams, efficiently automating the entire process of software development, and they want it from one partner." Devlin added, "We're extremely pleased to provide this comprehensive solution through our partnership with Ericsson." Ericsson is the leading provider in the new telecoms world, with communications solutions that combine telecom and datacom technologies with freedom of mobility for the user. With more than 100,000 employees in 140 countries, Ericsson simplifies communications for its customers - network operators, service providers, enterprises and consumers - the world over. Please visit Ericsson's Press Room at: http://www.ericsson.se/pressroom FOR FURTHER INFORMATION, PLEASE CONTACT Autumn Blatchford, Public Relations Coordinator Rational Software Corporation Phone: +1 408 863 4046; E-mail ablatchf@rational.com Jaak Urmi, Director, SW Technology Management, Ericsson Phone: +46 8 757 3410; E-mail jaak.urmi@era-t.ericsson.se Johan Wiklund, Ericsson Corporate Communications Phone: +46 70 560 0134; E-mail: johan.wiklund@era.ericsson.se Company Information Rational Software Corporation (NASDAQ: RATL) is the market leader in ensuring the success of customers who depend on their ability to develop and deploy software for technical, embedded, Web, e-commerce, and enterprise information systems. Rational had revenues of USD 311 million for its fiscal year that ended in March 1998, and employs over 1,850 people worldwide. Rational's comprehensive solution addresses the major challenges faced by customers developing the mission-critical software applications that they depend on. Rational's solution substantially improves the effectiveness and productivity of software development teams, enabling them to reduce development time and improve quality. For more information, visit Rational at www.rational.com. ------------------------------------------------------------ Please visit http://www.bit.se for further information The following files are available for download: http://www.bit.se/bitonline/1999/01/25/19990125BIT00250/bit0001.doc http://www.bit.se/bitonline/1999/01/25/19990125BIT00250/bit0002.pdf