STOCKHOLM, Sweden, Nov. 22, 2013 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) --
* The award is given as part of the Global Carrier Awards' Télécoms Sans Frontières Special Recognition Awards category for Corporate Social Responsibility. * The award is in recognition of Ericsson's CSR approach in Myanmar, where the company re-established its presence in June 2012. It recognizes the research that Ericsson has undertaken to demonstrate that access to telecommunications would be beneficial to the people, economy and society of Myanmar Ericsson (NASDAQ: ERIC) has been awarded the "Corporate Social Responsibility Special Recognition Award" by Télécoms Sans Frontières at the Global Carrier Awards for its CSR approach in Myanmar, where the company re-established its presence in June 2012. The award was presented by the President of Télécoms Sans Frontières, Jean- François Cazenave. "The award recognizes the extensive research that Ericsson has undertaken to demonstrate that access to telecommunications would be beneficial to the people, economy and society of Myanmar," he said. "In addition, Ericsson's re-establishment of its presence in Myanmar demonstrates that it will collaborate with respected human rights stakeholders both to assess the human rights situation and the socioeconomic impact that telecommunications brings." Elaine Weidman Grunewald, Ericsson Vice President for Sustainability and Corporate Responsibility, said of the achievement: "We are honored to be recognized for the work that we have done in Myanmar. "Ericsson believes that access to communications is a basic human need, even a human right, and should be accessible for all. We envisage a Networked Society that is sustainable, and where everything that can benefit from a connection will have one. The recent developments in Myanmar telecommunications are exciting and we want to be part of the positive growth and change that is taking place." The study, Potential Economic Impact of Mobile Communications in Myanmar, estimates the total economic impact of the mobile sector in the country at 1.5 to 7.4 percent of gross domestic product (GDP) over the first three years after licenses are issued. The potential impact of mobile communications on employment was also assessed. It is estimated that the mobile communications industry will employ approximately 66,000 people full-time in Myanmar, with an additional 24,000 full-time jobs expected to be created in the wider economy as a result of interactions with mobile network operators. Weidman-Grunewald added: "Ericsson is complementing the socioeconomic forecast with a responsible business approach, which includes human rights impact assessment work, as well as participating in the work of the Myanmar Centre for Responsible Business, which will conduct a sector-wide impact assessment of the ICT sector in 2014." About Télécoms Sans Frontières Founded in 1998, Télécoms Sans Frontières (TSF)/Telecom Without Borders is the world's leading emergency telecommunications non-profit organization. Since 1998, TSF has participated in international emergency efforts, setting up emergency communications facilities in war-torn or disaster zones for affected populations and relief workers. With its 24-hour monitoring center and offices in Europe, Central America, Asia, and its office in the United States, TSF is among the first to arrive after a catastrophe. More information on TSF can be found on www.tsfi.org About The Global Carrier Awards The Global Carrier Awards is an event organized by Capacity Media. Capacity Media through its publishing and conferences focuses on the wholesale telecommunications market and carrier-to-carrier business. Consisting of Capacity magazine, Capacity Conferences and International Telecoms Week (ITW), Capacity Media is established as the leading source of information for the global telecommunications community. NOTES TO EDITORS The potential economic impact of mobile communications in Myanmar ICT and Human Rights - an ecosystem approach The Myanmar Centre for Responsible Business is a unique collaboration between the Institute for Human Rights and Business and the Danish Institute for Human Rights, based in Yangon http://www.myanmar-responsiblebusiness.org/news/ Institute for Human Rights and Business www.ihrb.org Danish Institute for Human Rights www.humanrights.dk Capacity Media http://www.capacitymedia.com/ Download high-resolution photos and broadcast-quality video at www.ericsson.com/press Ericsson is a world-leading provider of communications technology and services. We are enabling the Networked Society with efficient real-time solutions that allow us all to study, work and live our lives more freely, in sustainable societies around the world. Our offering comprises services, software and infrastructure within Information and Communications Technology for telecom operators and other industries. Today 40 percent of the world's mobile traffic goes through Ericsson networks and we support customers' networks servicing more than 2.5 billion subscriptions. We are more than 110,000 people working with customers in more than 180 countries. Founded in 1876, Ericsson is headquartered in Stockholm, Sweden. In 2012 the company's net sales were SEK 227.8 billion (USD 33.8 billion). Ericsson is listed on NASDAQ OMX, Stockholm and NASDAQ, New York stock exchanges. www.ericsson.com www.ericsson.com/news www.twitter.com/ericssonpress www.twitter.com/ericssonsustain www.facebook.com/technologyforgood www.youtube.com/ericsson FOR FURTHER INFORMATION, PLEASE CONTACT Ericsson Corporate Communications Phone: +46 10 719 69 92 E-mail: media.relations@ericsson.com Ericsson Investor Relations Phone: +46 10 719 00 00 E-mail: investor.relations@ericsson.com Ericsson receives CSR award for its work in Myanmar: http://hugin.info/1061/R/1745127/587347.pdf Ericsson receives CSR award for its work in Myanmar: http://hugin.info/1061/R/1745127/587345.pdf [HUG#1745127]
