Connects vessels at sea with shore-based operations, maintenance service providers, customer support centers, fleet/transportation partners, port operations and authorities

Enables services that facilitate voyage optimization, cargo monitoring and crew welfare

Despite the fact that ships carried an estimated total of 9.6 billion tons of cargo in 2013 - around 80 per cent of global trade by volume and over 70 percent of global trade by value - the maritime industry lags behind alternative transport industries in terms of its use of information and communications technology. Ericsson (NASDAQ: ERIC) aims to change that with the introduction of Maritime ICT Cloud; an end-to-end offering that combines a managed cloud solution with industry applications, service enablement, connectivity management, and consulting and systems integration services.

At present ships rely on manually updated traffic, cargo, port, weather and safety information that is sent point-to-point rather than made available to all parties simultaneously via a network. This is a time-consuming process and the lack of access to real-time data significantly increases the margin for error.

Ericsson's Maritime ICT Cloud will connect vessels at sea with shore-based operations, maintenance service providers, customer support centers, fleet/transportation partners, port operations and authorities. At the same time, the offering enables services used to manage fleets, monitor engines and fuel consumption, oversee routes and navigation, and ensure the wellbeing of the crew. Ericsson will provide everything from satellite connections to application support in one complete package, and manage operation of the Maritime ICT Cloud on behalf of its customers.

Ericsson AB (Nasdaq: ERIC)