Mobile social networking leader Twitter has chosen Ericsson’s (NASDAQ:ERIC) SS Internet Payment eXchange (IPX) solution to extend its mobile service globally.

Twitter, the world’s largest mobile social network service, has chosen Ericsson’s IPX solution for its global SMS traffic to support the service’s ability to send and receive brief “status” updates via text messaging to the growing number of mobile phones in Twitter’s network. Ericsson IPX will also support Twitter’s new tracking service, which allows users around the world to track any status updates that include key words or topics and enables users to find fellow Twitter users with similar interests. Twitter is used globally by friends, family and co-workers to communicate and stay connected. Celebrities, politicians, organizations and leading media companies are also using Twitter to communicate with their “followers”.

“Ericsson IPX is one of the world’s largest SMS aggregators, and immediately provides Twitter with the ability to distribute messages to most mobile phones worldwide, which is extremely important for a social communication utility” said Jack Dorsey CL, CEO and Founder of Twitter. “We are encouraged by Ericsson’s technical expertise and will now be able to utilize their extensive operator connections to create a phenomenal end-user experience. We therefore anticipate expanding our relationship even further with Ericsson in the future.”

IPX greatly simplifies the business model between content providers, mobile operators and end users. It allows end users to send and receive messages, purchase content from different content providers and pay using their existing mobile phone subscription. IPX also reduces the complexity and number of economic and technical relationships required, making it a more cost-efficient solution for operators and content providers.

“Twitter fits the profile of innovation and market leadership that Ericsson ideally wants to have from its customers. We are extremely impressed by the way Twitter has reached this leading position in such short time,” said Fredrik Ruben, Ericsson’s Head of CM Sales, IPX North America CG. “Together we offer a device agnostic service that allows users to tap into the world’s largest ecosystem of mobile social networking, content and services.”

Ericsson is shaping the future of Mobile and MC Broadband Internet communications through its continuous technology leadership. Providing innovative solutions in more than 140 countries, Ericsson is helping to create the most powerful communication companies in the world.

Ericsson IPX is a non-branded service that provides mobile billing and connectivity for content via SMS, MMS, WEB and WAP, through one single interface. The premium service, IPX Payment, provides delivery and charging for Content Providers - to more than ONE billion mobile subscribers across networks in 23 countries and regions, and new markets are being added continuously. With the non-premium service, IPX Messaging, content providers can deliver to and receive SMS messages from mobile subscribers worldwide.

Twitter is the world’s largest mobile social networking utility. People are eager to connect with other people and Twitter makes that simple. Twitter’s status update capability centers around one question, "What are you doing?" Answers must be under 140 characters in length and can be sent to members of a user’s social network via mobile texting, instant message, or the web. Twitter’s tracking capability allows users to track any mobile update by keyword or concept, giving users insight into other Twitter users with similar interests.

Twitter's core technology is a device agnostic message routing system with rudimentary social networking features. By accepting messages from SMS, web, mobile web, IM or from third party API projects, Twitter makes it easy for folks to stay connected. Visit twitter.com to learn more.