Connect to Learn Expands into the Arab World in Collaboration with Ericsson

From left to right: Carlo Alloni, Ericsson President for North East Africa region, Anders Lindblad, Ericsson President for Region Middle East, Mr. Moussa Ahmed Hassan, Minister of Education, Mr. Abdi Houssein Ahmed, Ministre of Telecommunication; Mr. Abdourahman Mohamed Hassan, Djibouti Telecom CEO.
2 April 2012
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Ericsson (Stockholm)
press release
  • Ericsson, Djibouti Telecom, Djibouti Government and the Earth Institute to expand Connect To Learn to the Arab world
  • Global education initiative aims to promote universal access to a quality 21st century secondary education, to be implemented in the first Arabic speaking schools.
  • Partnership to provide schools in Djibouti with PC as a Service solution and a cloud-computing solution

Ericsson (NASDAQ:ERIC), and the Earth Institute at Columbia University join forces with Djibouti Telecom and the Djibouti Government to expand the Connect To Learn initiative to the Arab world.

As the first country in the region to launch Connect To Learn, Djibouti will introduce the project as part of the Drylands Initiative, which was initiated to address the deepening humanitarian, economic, and security crisis of pastoralist communities and encompasses eight sites across six countries.

"We are looking forward to start working on getting the project off the ground in Djibouti," said Abdulrahman Mohamed Hassan, Djibouti Telecom Chief Executive Officer. "With Ericsson’s expertise and the strong commitment and involvement of governments at the regional and national level, including a Ministerial-level working group, I’m sure the initiative will successfully bring connectivity to rural communities and help them achieve their educational goals."

The project will focus on bringing the benefits of connectivity to secondary schools in the country using the power of cloud-based technology, specifically PC as a Service. It will also use the knowledge and experience of the Djibouti Government and the Earth Institute to implement information and communications technology (ICT) in three secondary schools in resource poor settings to enhance the quality and access to teaching and learning resources in a safe, cost effective, and user friendly way.

"The Connect To Learn initiative, serves as a powerful demonstration of the role Information and Communication Technology (ICT) can play to bring connectivity and efficiency in education. Reinforcing our commitment to use Technology for good in a Networked Society, this initiative and partnership with Djibouti Telecom enables students in Djibouti to unlock the key to access the worldwide library of information and content on the web" said Anders Lindblad, President and Head of Region Middle East, Ericsson.

About Connect To Learn

Connect To Learn was launched by the Earth Institute, Millennium Promise (an NGO), and Ericsson in 2010, in response to the challenges of access and inequality. It aims to ensure that people worldwide, especially girls, have access to a complete and quality education. The Connect to Learn partners recognize the transformational role broadband connectivity and other ICT solutions can have in scaling up access to quality education through innovative programs, such as cloud-based curricula and school-to-school connectivity. The initiative also promotes transition to secondary school for those who face extraordinary challenges, especially girls, through scholarships.

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Ericsson

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 175 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.

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For further information, please contact

Ericsson Region Middle East Public & Media Relations Fida Kibbi, Head of Public and Media Relations
    Phone: +97155600 1005
    E-mail: rmedia.media@ericsson.com

Ericsson Corporate Public & Media Relations
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