West Africa / Ericsson and Sony Ericsson partner to run competition for application developers in West Africa
ABUJA, Nigeria, November 30, 2011/ — Ericsson Gives West African developers a global stage
• Ericsson and Sony Ericsson partner to run competition for application developers in West Africa
• Local developers are invited to submit innovative ideas and mobile applications
• Application entries will be automatically registered for the global competition with a chance to win a €15,000 cash prize.
Ericsson (http://www.ericsson.com) in partnership with Sony Ericsson has announced plans to run a regional competition for application developers on the Android platform. The competition titled ‘Apps for Africa’ is to run under the aegis of the 2012 Ericsson Application Awards (EAA 2012) – an ongoing annual competition for application developers worldwide organized by Ericsson Research.
‘Apps for Africa’ is designed to promote the development of innovative ideas and mobile applications from a variety of environments and situations peculiar to the region. These are expected to enable new opportunities for people to collaborate, innovate, learn, care and participate in more efficient ways that positively impact our environment.
This competition is an amazing opportunity for local talent to showcase their capabilities in the global community of innovators and developers said Gary Dewing, Country Manager of Ericsson Nigeria “It reflects our reflects our ambition to use technology to change lives for the better”.
Members of the winning teams in each region will each receive a Sony Ericsson Xperia phone, while teams in second place will receive Business Experience Packs (incl. Sony Ericsson MW600, office pro, McAfee, and a micro USB cable).
Jorgen Berg, Head of Market Unit Africa at Sony Ericsson comments, “Our objective for Sony Ericsson is to be the preferred choice for Android devices by delivering the most entertaining smartphones and adding value to people’s lives. We are thrilled to run this Android Application Competition which will bring about innovative solutions to enrich the user experience of our Xperia handsets.”
The competition is open to students and to small and medium sized enterprises in Gambia, Ghana, Liberia, Nigeria and Sierra Leone. Interested developers in are required to register teams of two to four people online at www.ericssonapplicationawards.com/apps-africa-west before February 01, 2012 and submit either a video of idea or an Android based application that addresses the theme and makes use of at least one Ericsson Labs API (e.g. Mobile Location or Text To Speech) before February 28th, 2012.
The competition will be rolled-out across Sub Saharan Africa in November. All application submissions will be automatically entered into the global competition – EAA 2012 – ‘Apps for the Networked Society’, for the chance to win a €15,000 cash prize.
About EAA 2012 – Apps for the Networked Society
The EAA 2012 awards themed ‘Apps for the Networked Society’, will run till May 2012, the competition provides a unique opportunity for developers to gain exposure within the telecommunications world and a chance to reach out to customers via Ericsson’s distribution channels in addition to the opportunity to win the latest top of the range Sony Ericsson phones and €15,000 in prize money.
More information on the Ericsson Application Awards: http://www.ericssonapplicationawards.com
Ericsson (http://www.ericsson.com) is the world’s leading provider of technology and services to telecom operators. Ericsson is the leader in 2G, 3G and 4G mobile technologies, and provides support for networks with over 2 billion subscribers and has the leading position in managed services. The company’s portfolio comprises mobile and fixed network infrastructure, telecom services, software, broadband and multimedia solutions for operators, enterprises and the media industry. The Sony Ericsson and ST-Ericsson joint ventures provide consumers with feature-rich personal mobile devices.
Ericsson is advancing its vision of being the “prime driver in an all-communicating world” through innovation, technology, and sustainable business solutions. Working in 180 countries, more than 90,000 employees generated revenue of SEK 203.3 billion (USD 28.2 billion) in 2010. Founded in 1876 with the headquarters in Stockholm, Sweden, Ericsson is listed on NASDAQ OMX, Stockholm and NASDAQ New York.
FOR FURTHER INFORMATION, PLEASE CONTACT
Ericsson Corporate Public & Media Relations
Phone: +46 10 719 69 92
E-mail: media.relations@ericsson.com
Ericsson Investor Relations
Phone: +46 10 719 00 00
E-mail: investor.relations@ericsson.com
