Esato blog

Ericsson (not Sony Ericsson) today told 120 of it’s employees at the main office in Asker, Norway that it will shut down the office in 2011. In total 200 people are working for Ericsson in Norway. This is a sidenote in the big telecom picture, but it is nevertheless a sad day for the people involved. Ericsson will minimize it’s branches and are limiting it’s development to Sweden, Italy, Hungary and China.

Norway was Ericsson’s first foreign customer back in 1881. A Swede started a telephone association in Norway and bught telephone equipment, primary telephones for a total amount of SEK 7000,- (USD 1019) from Ericss. Probably a lot of money back then. To strengthen its position on Norway, Ericsson purchased shares in Elektrisk Bureau in 1928 and took over the telecom operations and established its own Norwegian company in 1989. Elektrisk Bureau was manufacturing telecom equipment, radio and electirc elements. In 1981, Ericsson received the contract to supply Norway’s first mobile telephone network for NMT but the first contract for digitalization of the fixed network went to Ericssons main competitor Alcatel in 1982 and because of this Ericsson changed its strategy in the country. Ericsson was choosen to buil the first GSM network for Telenor in 1995. Ericsson is the market leader of telecom products in Norway today.

Sony Ericsson Norway are sharing office with Ericsson and will probably have to relocate before 3rd quarter when the closure is completed.