Online Gaming Gets Vocal with Ericsson

• Voice services in Entropia Universe enabled by IMS from Ericsson
• Better communication experience for players in gaming world
• Ericsson's first contract in the gaming industry
• Increased revenue streams for real business in virtual world

Players of Entropia, an online universe created by Sweden-based online gaming company Mindark, can now speak to each other live with high-quality voice services while gaming, thanks to an IMS solution from Ericsson (NASDAQ: ERIC).

This is Ericsson's first commercial business in the gaming sphere. Ericsson is deploying its existing voice technology based on IMS in a cloud service, called Ericsson In-Game Communication (EIGC), which makes it simple and cost-effective to introduce communication into games.  Ericsson will provide and integrate the software into the Entropia Universe platform.

Mindark provides one of the most advanced Internet interaction solutions available today. Entropia Universe is a 3D virtual world with a real cash economy. It is growing in popularity, with more than one million registered users. "It was important to have a system that is integrated into our own platform. Because then we could customize the functionality and have security that is required for us, since we deal with real money in our virtual world. The solution from Ericsson provided the best security and flexibility for us," says Christian Björkman, Chief Marketing Officer for Mindark. 

With this service, 3D rendering is possible so that gamers will be able to talk and listen to avatars that are nearby, attend or give lectures for an interactive audience, and work in teams with secure leader-controlled access.

Mindark is well-known for placing the world's most expensive virtual item in the Guinness Book of World Records. "This voice service will help us continue our strategy of adding value to the virtual world, plus bridging virtual and real-world possibilities," says Björkman.  In terms of business, it would be possible to integrate new services such as break-out services, audio advertising and other voice-based services.

Magnus Furustam, Vice President, head of Core & IMS at Ericsson, says: "This solution bridges the virtual experience with reality, and the telecoms world with the gaming world. It is exciting to combine Ericsson's outstanding competence in communication services with the large and fast-growing gaming industry sector."

The full gaming service launched May 16.

   
Notes to editors:

Related information:

http://www.ericsson.com/tl/ourportfolio/products/ericsson-in-game-communication?nav=fgb_101_214%7Cfgb_101_432

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Ericsson is the world's leading provider of technology and services to telecom operators. Ericsson is the leader in 2G, 3G and 4G mobile technologies, and provides support for networks with over 2 billion subscribers and has the leading position in managed services. The company's portfolio comprises mobile and fixed network infrastructure, telecom services, software, broadband and multimedia solutions for operators, enterprises and the media industry. The Sony Ericsson and ST-Ericsson joint ventures provide consumers with feature-rich personal mobile devices. 

Ericsson is advancing its vision of being the "prime driver in an all-communicating world" through innovation, technology, and sustainable business solutions. Working in 175 countries, more than 80,000 employees generated revenue of SEK 206.5 billion (USD 27.1 billion) in 2009. Founded in 1876 with the headquarters in Stockholm, Sweden, Ericsson is listed on NASDAQ OMX, Stockholm and NASDAQ New York.

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ABOUT MINDARK PE AB

MindArk develops, operates and provides Entropia Universe. MindArk is based in Gothenburg, Sweden and has 65 employees. Furthermore, MindArk develops supports and monitors the services and maintenance of the Entropia Platform, the underlying technological and commercial applications that support the creation and operation of Entropia Universe. Additional information about MindArk PE AB is available at http://www.mindark.com.

ENTROPIA UNIVERSE®, ENTROPIA PLATFORM® and MINDARK® are registered trademarks of MindArk PE AB.

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