A business ecosystem approach is fundamental to the operation of Ericsson Developer Connection, with its many interfaces to players outside Ericsson, such as developers, partners, universities, and customers.

We asked Rolf Carlsson, head of Operations at Ericsson Developer Connection, to explain how he defines “business ecosystem” and why it is important to adopt such an approach.

A business ecosystem, he explains, is a network of stakeholders that act together in one or several business situations, to the benefit of each stakeholder, and where each stakeholder looks after its own interests.

“As a simple example, consider a deal where several partners cooperate to deliver a solution to a customer in a way where each partner is responsible for its own investments,” he says.

Carlsson believes there are several reasons why Ericsson should adopt an ecosystem approach to business.

“Ericsson is a key player in several technology areas, but we need to cooperate with others, especially in the application segment, to create demand and develop our business.

“And as the telecom, IT and media businesses increasingly merge, the situation in the market gets more complex, with more and more players involved. To prosper in such a situation, we have to continuously work together with other key players in a variety of partnering constellations.”

The most important stakeholders in the ecosystem of Ericsson Developer Connection, Carlsson says, are – besides the customers – developers, partners, and universities. Other important players are IT and media companies and standardization bodies. In this intricate business ecosystem, Ericsson’s role differs on a case-by-case basis.

Regarding the developers, the aim of the Ericsson Developer Connection is to open the telecom world to IT developers and help independent software vendors (ISVs) create applications that incorporate telecommunication network capabilities. Members of the Ericsson Developer Connection are offered a wide range of support, including technical documentation, software development kits (SDKs), discussion forums, and training.

The members of Ericsson Developer Connection can deepen their involvement with Ericsson and become partners. Applications offered by partners are then marketed by Ericsson to customers around the world. Ericsson Developer Connection’s partners are all operating in the IMS and SDP space and add a portfolio of more than 100 applications to Ericsson’s offering.

The cooperation with universities has many objectives, including, among others, to create goodwill; to introduce technology innovations to the students and university staff; and to jointly develop applications. The cooperation is built on activities such as lectures and seminars, contests, and developer days.


Benny Ritzén