EAA 2012: African developers are given a global stage

• Ericsson and Sony Ericsson partner to run competition for application developers in East Africa
• Local developers are invited to submit innovative ideas and mobile
  applications
• Application entries will be automatically registered for the global competition with a chance to win a €15,000 cash prize.

Ericsson in partnership with Sony Ericsson has announced plans to run a regional competition for application developers on the Android platform. The competition titled ‘Apps for Africa’ is to run under the aegis of the 2012 Ericsson Application Awards (EAA 2012) - an ongoing annual competition for application developers worldwide organized by Ericsson Research.

‘Apps for Africa’ is designed to promote the development of innovative ideas and mobile applications from a variety of environments and situations peculiar to the region. These are expected to enable new opportunities for people to collaborate, innovate, learn, care and participate in more efficient ways that positively impact our environment.

Craig Hosken, Country Manager Ericsson Kenya said, “Ericsson is transforming the lives of individuals, businesses and communities in Africa through the rollout of mobile network infrastructure, services and applications and see this as an opportunity to engage with local developers and promote innovation for the people, by the people.” He added that “We look forward to seeing a lot of creative submissions, and having Partechs Solutions – a small Kenyan firm, win the first leg of the global EAA2012 competition reinforces our belief in the capabilities of the innovative minds in our region”

Members of the winning teams in each region will each receive a Sony Ericsson Xperia phone, while teams in second place will receive Business Experience Packs (incl. Sony Ericsson MW600, office pro, McAfee, and a micro USB cable).

Jorgen Berg, Head of Market Unit Africa at Sony Ericsson comments, “Our objective for Sony Ericsson is to be the preferred choice for Android devices by delivering the most entertaining smartphones and adding value to people’s lives. We are thrilled to run this Android Application Competition which will bring about innovative solutions to enrich the user experience of our Xperia handsets.”

Interested developers in are required to register teams of two to four people online at
Ericsson Application Awards

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Ericsson is the world’s leading provider of technology and services to telecom operators. Ericsson is the leader in 2G, 3G and 4G mobile technologies, and provides support for networks with over 2 billion subscribers and has the leading position in managed services. The company’s portfolio comprises mobile and fixed network infrastructure, telecom services, software, broadband and multimedia solutions for operators, enterprises and the media industry. The Sony Ericsson and ST-Ericsson joint ventures provide consumers with feature-rich personal mobile devices.

Ericsson is advancing its vision of being the “prime driver in an all-communicating world” through innovation, technology, and sustainable business solutions. Working in 180 countries, more than 90,000 employees generated revenue of SEK 203.3 billion (USD 28.2 billion) in 2010. Founded in 1876 with the headquarters in Stockholm, Sweden, Ericsson is listed on NASDAQ OMX, Stockholm and NASDAQ New York.
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