Changing the world

The story of Lars Magnus Ericsson and his successors

Phones for everyone

On how Lars Magnus Ericsson arrives in Stockholm, sets out into the world, then returns home to start his own company making telephones.

The Nordics take charge

How engineers working for the state-owned Nordic telecom agencies take a chance and devote ten years of hard work to developing the NMT automatic mobile telephone system.

World leadership

On the race to create the second generation of mobile phones. On how Groupe Spécial Mobile undertook its task under the skillful leadership of Thomas Haug.

About the amazing popularity of GSM and Ericsson’s tremendous growth. The major battles in the contest to create the third generation of mobile telephony. How Ericsson and Nokia become allies in the struggle for a world standard, and how Ericsson conquers the US yet again. Quarterly report capitalism. How operators empty their coffers and almost kill the vendors. How a traveling roadshow rescues Ericsson.

Everyone on board

Finding a leader able to inspire the organization with courage. How the Ericsson strategy has to leave its hiding place in the vault. Seven factors that will turn the company around. Ericsson’s new ‘constitution’. The board’s hesitations over further cuts. How a profit of 5 percent is not enough. How managers are the most important messengers and how they have to live up to the demands of the job every day.

The future is now

The never-ending battle over future technological solutions. The hype around WiMAX and the hunt for the best broadband concept. Investments in multimedia, setting up in Silicon Valley and new acquisitions. An unexpected profit warning and the reaction it provokes. How the telecommunications sector faces a new crisis. How business becomes much more service-driven. How Ericsson triumphs with LTE in the fourth battle over standards. Open systems as a factor of strength. How the future is always being created now.

Changing the World

As this is being written in August 2009, Ericsson has been around as a company for 133 years and four months and has a leading global position in its market. Things have not always been like this: Ericsson’s position has shifted, the nature and extent of its business have changed radically, and on more than a few occasions the company has been close to ruin.