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Ericsson unveils wind-powered concept for its award-winning Tower Tube

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Ericsson (NASDAQ:ERIC) today unveiled its latest energy-optimized radio base station site concept, a research project for a pioneering wind-powered Tower Tube. Working with Vertical Wind AB and Uppsala University in Sweden, Ericsson is developing the concept as part of its commitment to sustainable and cost-efficient solutions that help bring communications to all. 
 
The wind-powered Tower Tube takes the energy-lean design of Ericsson's award-winning* original Tower Tube one step further by employing renewable energy. It harnesses wind power via a four-blade turbine with five-meter blades vertically attached to the tower. The vertical rotor blades work silently and minimize the load on the tower during operation.


Trials will be conducted to determine if the design of the energy-efficient Ericsson Tower Tube and the vertical wind rotor blades work together to enable low-cost mobile communication, with reduced impacts on both the local and global environment.


The Ericsson Tower Tube construction houses base stations and antennas, fully enclosing them in an aesthetically pleasing concrete tower. It has a smaller footprint and lower environmental impact than traditional steel towers with CO2 emissions related to materials, such as production an transportation, that are at least 30 percent lower.

Furthermore, the Ericsson Tower Tube has no need for feeders and cooling systems.  With up to 40 percent lower power consumption than traditional base station sites, it helps operators reduce their operating costs significantly.  It employs cutting-edge design and can be built in many sizes and painted in a variety of colors, making it a natural fit for any landscape.

Ulf Ewaldsson, Vice President and Head of Product Area Radio at Ericsson, says: "Combining wind power with Ericsson's Tower Tube brings further opportunities to support mobile communication in both urban and remote areas with no or limited access to the electricity grid. Ericsson's wind-powered Tower Tube research initiative reflects our ambition to use our technical leadership to drive sustainable, telecom expansion and deliver communication for all."


The move follows a series of initiatives from Ericsson to improve energy efficiency, reduce environmental impacts and lower the costs of mobile networks for operators. These include: solar-power for macro coverage base station sites; the BTS Power Savings feature that puts a network in stand-by mode during off-peak hours; biofuel-powered telecom sites; a hybrid solution using diesel and batteries;
and the Village Solar Charger, co-developed with Sony Ericsson.
 
 
Notes to editors:
 
Ericsson's award-winning* Ericsson Tower Tube
Ericsson's Tower Tube has won the Technology Design category of the 2008 Wall Street Journal Technology Innovation Awards.
Ericsson's work in developing the Tower Tube captured the attention of judges at the eighth annual Innovation Awards, which recognize innovative individuals, companies and organizations around the world. There were 700 entries across all categories, with only four percent of submissions receiving awards.
The Ericsson Tower Tube design "is a good attempt at making cell towers less obtrusive", said Darlene JS Solomon, chief technology officer of Agilent Technologies Inc. and an Innovation Awards judge.
 
Innovating Energy Efficiency website
Innovating Energy Efficiency website
                    
Broadcasting material can be downloaded here:
www.ericsson.com/broadcast_room
 




Ericsson is the world's leading provider of technology and services to telecom operators. The market leader in 2G and 3G mobile technologies, Ericsson supplies communications services and manages networks that serve more than 195 million subscribers. The company's portfolio comprises mobile and fixed network infrastructure, and broadband and multimedia solutions for operators, enterprises and developers. The Sony Ericsson joint venture provides consumers with feature-rich personal mobile devices.
 
Ericsson is advancing its vision of 'communication for all' through innovation, technology, and sustainable business solutions. Working in 175 countries, more than 70,000 employees generated revenue of USD 27.9 billion (SEK 188 billion) in 2007. Founded in 1876 and headquartered in Stockholm, Sweden, Ericsson is listed on OMX Nordic Exchange Stockholm and NASDAQ.
 
For more information, visit www.ericsson.com or www.ericsson.mobi/


 
FOR FURTHER INFORMATION, PLEASE CONTACT


Ericsson Media Relations
Phone: +46 8 719 69 92


About Vertical Wind AB
Vertical Wind AB is developing and manufacturing the wind power technology of the future based on a vertical wind turbine connected to a permanent magnetised direct driven generator. This innovative concept ensures an environmentally sustainable electric power production with high availability. The low number of mechanical parts and the absence of gearbox give a simple, robust and silent construction with low maintenance cost and competitive lifetime ownership cost. www.verticalwind.se
 
 
About Uppsala University
Uppsala University is a comprehensive international research university dedicated to advancing science, scholarship, and higher education. Today's advances in research and education are based on traditions of learning with deep historical roots. It is the oldest university in the Nordic countries - founded in 1477. In a great many fields, Uppsala University research is on the international cutting edge and it plays an important role in society promoting development and innovation. www.uu.se

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