Ingram Micro and Sony Ericsson sign European and U.S. distribution agreements to offer mobile enterprise solutions

GSM World Congress Cannes, France -- Ingram Micro Inc. (NYSE: IM), the world’s largest technology distributor and Sony Ericsson, a leading supplier of mobile communications solutions, today announced regional agreements to offer mobile business solutions to resellers in Europe and the United States.

The European distribution agreement includes Sony Ericsson products such as the P910 smartphone, PC-cards and accessories, while the initial U.S. agreement includes the P910a smartphone. Products are expected to be available to U.S. resellers by March. Ingram Micro U.S. currently offers Sony Ericsson’s GC83 PC Card product through a separate agreement with the U.S. wireless operator Cingular. Commenting on the new Sony Ericsson agreement, Hans Koppen, president Ingram Micro Europe said “The agreement with Sony Ericsson represents an important addition to our rapidly expanding portfolio for the mobility and wireless market. A key driver in this market is the convergence of voice and data through smart phones, converged devices and connected notebooks, which is rapidly bringing the telecom and IT worlds together. Ingram Micro is ideally positioned to develop these new channels and enable our resellers to capture market share in this segment.” The Sony Ericsson-Ingram Micro agreements combine the distributor’s extensive reach into the IT channel, logistics expertise, marketing and technical services with Sony Ericsson’s strong product offering and relationship with leading operators. With the geographical reach of these two agreements, meeting the growing demand from the IT channel for reliable access to products that offer a good platform for mobile business applications will be simplified. “We are committed to taking a big part of the growing mobile enterprise solutions market and see our partnership with Ingram Micro a fantastic opportunity to cultivate new channels and to reach out to this market place together with a leading player in this field,” says Jan Wäreby, Corporate Executive VP and Head of Sales & Marketing at Sony Ericsson. ”Ingram Micro’s agreement with Sony Ericsson in the U.S. and Europe is another example of our growing international focus to enable solution providers with world-class products and services,” said Keith Bradley, president Ingram Micro North America. “We will continue to bring to the global marketplace coordinated partnerships that benefit customers around the world.” Together, Ingram Micro and Sony Ericsson will provide products and solutions to the IT channel that deliver a high degree of mobility, connectivity and application readiness, thus improving efficiency and productivity for small, medium and large enterprises. The companies are committed to drive the adoption of mobile services by the IT channel, stimulating increased data-generated revenue for mobile operators and opening up new opportunities for IT resellers. Ingram Micro resellers will benefit from the agreement with Sony Ericsson as it opens up a wide range of high-demand mobility solutions, enabling them to capitalize on growth opportunities in the mobile business solutions market. By working with complementary vendors to offer multi-manufacturer solutions, the companies will offer a broad range of mobility solutions, including product bundles such as the P910 smartphone with e-mail solution or a PC-card with a laptop. ENDS