Ericsson to train 600 Saudi youths for telecom jobs

RIYADH, 26 April  — A total of 280 Saudis are currently being trained  by the Swedish telecommunications giant LM Ericsson, which has not ruled out the possibility of instituting a chair in telecommunications at a Saudi university as part of its strategy to beef up local presence. <?xml:namespace prefix = o ns = "urn:schemas-microsoft-com:office:office" />

This was announced by Casare Avenia, vice president of Ericsson Worldwide, at a press conference called to announce Ericsson’s plans for advanced mobile data communications with WAP (wireless applications protocol) and mobile e-commerce.

Ericsson completed last year 1.1 million GSM lines for Saudi Telecom Company at a cost of $300 million.

Avenia said Ericsson had set up a training center for young Saudis. “About 280 engineers, technicians and staff are receiving training in GSM technology, handling and operation. They will later this year join in the industry as professionals, experts and crafts people and participate in the further expansion and development of the telecom network.”

He said that as part of their mission to provide technology and solutions to the customers, it was important for Ericsson to educate the local staff.

“There are many good young people graduating from the universities in the Kingdom. We believe that Ericsson is an attractive place for them to work and develop further.”

Bo Nilsson, general manager of Ericsson (Saudi Arabia), said the center had a target to train some 600 young Saudis. He said they would be provided job opportunities for developing software solutions for Internet and GSM telephony.

Asked if STC’s plans for the introduction of the latest generation of telecommunications technology would have any impact on the technology that Ericsson had already put in place, Nilsson said it would serve as a platform for making use of the state-of-the-art technology. “It’s important when we install the equipment that any investment that can be used lasts for a longer time,” he said.

Ericsson and Sony had signed a Memorandum of Understanding yesterday to merge the terminal businesses of the two companies into a jointly owned company.