Promoted content: Ericsson is a world leader in communications technology and services with headquarters in Stockholm, Sweden. The company's organisation consists of more than 111,000 experts who provide customers in 180 countries with innovative solutions and services. Ericsson is working with its partners around the world in building a more connected future where anyone and any industry is empowered to reach their full potential. The company's net sales in 2016 were SEK 222.6 billion (USD 24.5 billion) and the Ericsson stock is listed on Nasdaq Stockholm and on NASDAQ in New York. Ericsson in Egypt Ericsson installed its first telephone exchange in Egypt in 1897, in Alexandria. Previous successes in the UK were a contributory factor, since the UK controlled the country at the time. In the second decade of the 20th century, several exchanges were installed in Egypt, making it the company's largest market in Africa on par with South Africa. Ericsson also sold a large number of telephones in Egypt, so many in fact that "Ericsson" became the generic term for telephone. During the 1920s, Ericsson concentrated on its operators and selling equipment to countries in which it had concessions. It did not have a concession in Egypt, however. Economic crises and world war dominated the 1930s and 1940s, but when Egypt became a republic in the 1950s it once again became a prime Ericsson market in Africa. In 1959, Ericsson received a major order from the Egyptian Post Telegram and Telephone authority (PTT) and, as a result, opened a branch office. The company won a contract of similar scope in Tunisia at about the same time, thus firmly establishing its breakthrough in North Africa. The Egyptian order included crossbar switching exchanges in Cairo and five other cities. At about the same time, the Egyptian Telephone Company started to manufacture Ericsson public exchanges, private switchboards and telephone apparatus under license. Ericsson also supplied rail signaling equipment. Ericsson's presence in Egypt was an important factor in winning subsequent major contracts in Saudi Arabia. Before placing their first order with Ericsson in the mid-1960s, the Saudi authorities studied the facilities in Egypt, and approved of what they saw. There was a continuous flow of new orders during the 1960s. When the Egyptian economy deteriorated in the 1970s, Ericsson's exports suffered since the company refused to grant the substantial credits requested. In the early 1980s, a large order for radio-link equipment was placed and, during the decade, the telecom network was renewed by installing a substantial number of AXE exchanges. Egypt took delivery of AXE exchanges in the 1980s and 1990s. Since the late 1990s, the emergence of mobile networking across the region started; consequently new licenses, for mobile and fixed telephony, flourished Ericson's business in the region and specifically in Egypt. This strong privileged position marks all Ericsson's milestones in Egypt and is remarkably backed by the attention given by Ericsson Group to this significant geographical area. In 2005, Ericsson Egypt deep-rooted the significance of the Egyptian market to its business growth, by moving its Northern Africa headquarters to the "Smart Village". The Smart Village, initiative promoted and supported by the Egyptian Ministry of Communications and IT (MCIT), is a technological park with state-of-the-art infrastructure that gathers telecoms and IT companies under one big roof. Today, Ericsson is a key partner to all local telecom players in Egypt who work together on paving the way towards 5G technologies. "Technology has become a defining aspect of development and prosperity – and in order for a nation to progress in the world we live in today, the advancement of technology must not only be recognised; it must be embraced and optimised. We are continuously working with local telecom partners in Egypt in order to make this ambition a reality," said Mathias Johansson, Head of Ericsson in Egypt and Saudi Arabia.
