“Ericsson (Nasdaq:ERICY) and Red Hat, Inc. (Nasdaq:RHAT) the
leading provider of open source Internet infrastructure solutions,
today announced a strategic initiative to jointly develop a new
range of consumer products and services for home
communications.”
“International Data Corporation (IDC) research predicts that by
2002, there will be more than 55 million handheld and
notebook-style information appliance devices and that by 2005,
shipments of these appliances will exceed shipments of PCs. To
capitalize on this opportunity, Ericsson and Red Hat will jointly
develop consumer products combining existing industry standards
such as Java and the latest open source technologies such as
Embedded Red Hat Linux. The products will also support existing and
evolving standards such as broadband networking and Bluetooth,
where Ericsson is a world leader.”
“The first product from this partnership is the Ericsson
Cordless Screen Phone unveiled at CeBIT 2000, that will be
commercially available at the end of this year. Additional
Internet services are being jointly designed by both companies,
specifically targeting operators (telecommunications, Internet and
Application Service Providers) that are increasingly looking to
offer consumers new, easy-to-use and innovative levels of service.
An example is the upgrading of Ericsson’s installed base of
products which will enable consumers to use the latest applications
and content without having to worry about technical
complexities.”