Sweden-based telecom gearmaker Ericsson on Monday said it is setting up a new unit called ‘industry and society’ that will focus on smart cities, Digital India programme and other technology projects from the Government.

By doing such projects, the company is targeting 20 per cent of its India sales from this vertical by 2020 as Government’s programmes have ‘enormous business opportunity’.

Ericsson India had registered net sales of 3.6 billion Swedish Krona (SEK) or ₹2,769 crore, in the July-September quarter as compared with SEK 2 billion (₹1,525 crore) in the same period last year.

The company will support Government initiatives for smart grids, smart city and Digital India projects.

Government is no more only policy maker. It has moved from policy maker to buyer. We are seeing a lot of interest in the areas of utilities and public safety from different state Governments,” Nishant Batra, Vice President and Head of Engagement Practices, Ericsson India, said.

He said this is something the telecom sector in India is seeing for the first time.

Ericsson provides end-to-end solutions providing security, trust and reliability in life-saving operations, helping authorities protect the public. It provides surveillance, emergency response, civil warning and situation awareness solutions for disaster and emergency management.

For example, Sweden’s SOS Alarm relies on Ericsson to support emergency service coordination.

“We are uniquely positioned to bring the right mix of technologies and delivery models to industries and societies. Over 40 per cent of the world’s mobile traffic passes through our network equipment, and we deliver over 1,500 consulting and systems integration projects every year,”

Orvar Hurtig, Vice President and Head, Industry and Society, Ericsson, said.

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