Strong demand for broadband worldwide and for mobile phones in developing countries is keeping the telecom industry strong, the head of Ericsson said.

"Broadband is becoming a basic necessity in today's information society, and it is now the fastest growing segment in the entire telecom industry," said Chief Executive Carl-Henric Svanberg at a New York industry conference. "The strong subscriber growth continues in both mobile networks and in fixed broadband. Indeed, we will reach three billion mobile subscriptions by 2007."

"Ericsson stands to benefit from the growth of broadband in the coming years. We have a leading position in WCDMA and HSPA and will continue to drive the upgrade to mobile broadband. With the Marconi portfolio we have expanded our offering to secure a leading position in transport and transmission. We have also strengthened our position significantly in fixed broadband access," he added.

Copyright 2006 by United Press International