The Swedish firm is diversifying from its bread and butter of telecoms equipment provision to offer SMEs a package which would provide employees with access to licensed apps, cloud storage and security tools. Business owners can also decide which employees get access to certain apps or capabilities, all for $100/employee, per month.
According to Åsa Tamsons (pictured), head of business area technologies and new businesses, the developments follow Ericsson's acquisition of a virtual desktop company. Tamsons also told Reuters the firm had partnered with technology services distributor Telarus to sell subscriptions for the platform.
A business customer would be able to buy applications from a marketplace, access the platform from any device and would not need a dedicated IT technician to set up the system.
Elsewhere in the business, Cradlepoint – which Ericsson acquired last year for $1.1 billion – has partnered with AT&T to launch the first US-wide business-focused broadband network with 5G coverage to more than 230 million people in 14,000 cities and towns.
The new solutions combine clean-slate-designed Cradlepoint 5G wideband adapters and routers, and its NetCloud Service, with AT&T’s nationwide wireless broadband network, data plans, and an AT&T management option for Cradlepoint devices.
"AT&T Wireless Broadband plays an essential role in bringing 5G to businesses nationwide,” said Rasesh Patel, chief product and platform officer, AT&T Business. “Businesses continue to transform and are crucial in building an ecosystem that brings the benefits of 5G to life. So, we’re delivering the tools for businesses to innovate fearlessly and build the foundation for a 5G world,” Patel added.
