Since 1896, Ericsson’s ideas, technologies and employees have created innovations that have affected and transformed the lives of Latin American people, industries and society.
Innovation has always been a fundamental part of the company’s DNA, achieving great milestones such as mobile phones, Bluetooth, mobile internet (3G and 4G), Internet of Things, smart transport, and disruptive 5G.
Ericsson also celebrates 140 years globally; since its founding in Sweden, the company has been working with the conviction that communications are a basic human need toward realizing the vision of the Networked Society.

Ericsson, a global leader in technology and communication services, celebrates its 140th anniversary this year, and 120th anniversary in Latin America, with Colombia the first base in Latin America. Since its founding, Ericsson’s commitment to the development of telecommunications and ICT in Latin America has had an impact on improving people’s quality of life and changing the way the world works and stays connected. Thanks to the widespread use of mobile phones, and later, mobile broadband, the company has become a significant promoter of socio-economic development in the region.

Ericsson, currently employing approximately 10,000 people in Latin America and the Caribbean, possesses innovation centers, an equipment factory in operation for over 60 years, competence centers, and a Global Services Center providing services around the world.

The company’s founder, Lars Magnus Ericsson, believed that communication was a basic human need, and that communication options should be available to everyone. Today, this belief has led to the company being responsible for more than 7 billion mobile subscriptions around the world; and has made possible what Ericsson calls the Networked Society, which has transformed and will continue to transform the way we interact, innovate and do business.

“During this significant anniversary, we are taking the opportunity to remind our employees, customers and partners about our role as the innovative engine of the ICT industry, focusing not only on the important innovations that have been produced over the years, but also on Ericsson’s future innovations”, states Marcia Goraieb, Vice-president of Marketing & Communications, Ericsson Latin America and the Caribbean. “The Ericsson Mobility Report shows that data traffic per active smartphone in Latin America will increase from 1.2 GB per month in 2015 to 6 GB per month by 2021. In addition, mobile subscriptions will increase from 710 million in the region to 846 million, and by 2020, 86% of Latin Americans will use smartphones. This shows that ICT innovation is necessary to provide the services Latin Americans demand now and in the future.”

Ericsson is celebrating its 120th anniversary in all Latin America with several initiatives with customers and partners, each one reiterating our commitment to continuing our work in developing the greatest changes yet to come. The company will continue innovating toward creating future turning points, as has been the case with milestones such as mobile phones, Bluetooth, mobile internet (3G and 4G), Internet of Things, smart transport and disruptive 5G.

Each day, Latin Americans, like billions of consumers all over the world, benefit from the $5 billion that Ericsson invests every year in Research and Development in order to make advances such as these possible.

From the moment Lars Magnus Ericsson started this adventure in his modest 140-square-foot mechanical engineering workshop to becoming a worldwide company with more than 115,000 employees working in 180 countries, and with more than 39,000 patents, Ericsson has been recognized for its ability to innovate and transform to retain its leadership position in the market.

Ericsson is the driving force behind the Networked Society – a world leader in communications technology and services. Our long-term relationships with every major telecom operator in the world allow people, business and society to fulfill their potential and create a more sustainable future.

Our services, software and infrastructure – especially in mobility, broadband and the cloud – are enabling the telecom industry and other sectors to do better business, increase efficiency, improve the user experience and capture new opportunities.

With approximately 115,000 professionals and customers in 180 countries, we combine global scale with technology and services leadership. We support networks that connect more than 2.5 billion subscribers. Forty percent of the world’s mobile traffic is carried over Ericsson networks. And our investments in research and development ensure that our solutions – and our customers – stay in front.

Founded in 1876, Ericsson has its headquarters in Stockholm, Sweden. Net sales in 2015 were SEK 246.9 billion (USD 29.4 billion). Ericsson is listed on NASDAQ OMX stock exchange in Stockholm and the NASDAQ in New York.

Ericsson has been present in Latin America since 1896, when the company established an agreement in Colombia and delivered equipment for the first time in the region. In the early 1900s, Ericsson increased its presence in Latin America by signing commercial deals in Argentina, Brazil and Mexico. Today, Ericsson is present in 56 countries within South America, Central America, Mexico and the Caribbean, which combined count the region as one of the few with complete Ericsson installations, including a Production Unit, R&D Center and Training Center. Ericsson is the market leading telecom supplier, with over 40% market share in Latin America and more than 100 telecom service contracts in the region.