NEW ORLEANS, Mar 17, 2003 (BUSINESS WIRE) -- Ericsson, the world leader in mobility, and Autodesk Location Services, a division of Autodesk, Inc. (Nasdaq:ADSK), today announced that they have entered into an agreement to market and deliver a complete, end-to-end location-based services solution for wireless network operators. By combining Ericsson's substantial experience as a provider of Telecommunications infrastructure with Autodesk's extensive software development and Geographic Information Systems expertise, wireless operators will have access to a sophisticated, end-to-end solution designed to easily, securely and reliably location-enable an entire end-user application portfolio with minimal per-application investment and short time-to-market.

The joint effort includes demonstrating the feasibility of the Autodesk LocationLogic location-based services middleware solution and Ericsson's core next-generation service platform -- the Ericsson Application Server -- as a viable long-term business model for the development and implementation of cost-effective integrated applications and services. To complete this solution offering, from network-based positioning technologies to marketable end-user applications, Ericsson brings its highly successful Ericsson Mobile Positioning System.

"Ericsson is the market leader within this segment. We have more than 30 commercial contracts worldwide of the Ericsson Location Based Services solution and our Mobile Positioning System have been used in commercial applications by operators since 2000," said Lennart Edberg, head of Mobile Positioning for Ericsson. "The agreement with Autodesk is an important step forward and in line with our strategy to cooperate with partners in order to offer a full Location Based Solution."

Operators around the world have started offering location services in a variety of forms, from simple friend-finding services to detailed driving-direction applications. Such applications could create a significant industry, according to some market predictions. Research firm IDC forecasts that up to 25 million mobile-phone owners will be using location-based services from their wireless devices by the end of 2004, and almost 3 million of those users will have begun using services that support precise positioning. The firm said the location-services market could exceed $2.7 billion in sales by the end of 2006.

"We are pleased to combine our joint expertise to deliver an advanced solution for wireless network operators," said Joe Astroth, executive vice president, Autodesk Location Services. "Ericsson is the world leader in mobile communications. Our joint agreement will enable Autodesk to expand our technology leadership and will ensure that we remain best-positioned to provide our customers with sophisticated location-based services."

About Ericsson

Ericsson is shaping the future of Mobile and Broadband Internet communications through its continuous technology leadership. Providing innovative solutions in more than 140 countries, Ericsson is helping to create the most powerful communication companies in the world.

Autodesk LocationLogic

Building on Autodesk's core strengths in mapping, visualization, and location analysis, Autodesk LocationLogic was engineered from inception to meet the specific requirements of wireless carriers. LocationLogic handles the complexities of network integration, content management, and application integration using standard APIs and protocols to ease integration and lower the cost of application development. This kind of standardization also makes it easy to extend today's wireless data services into the future as technology evolves and customer requirements change.

About Autodesk Location Services

Autodesk Location Services (www.autodesk.com/locationservices), a division of Autodesk, Inc., provides infomobility solutions to carriers and enterprises worldwide. The Autodesk LocationLogic platform and Autodesk Location Connect suite of applications bring personalized, localized, and actionable wireless data services to wired, mobile, and wireless environments. Autodesk is the world's leading design software and digital content company, offering customers progressive business solutions through powerful technology products and services. Autodesk helps customers in the building, manufacturing, infrastructure, digital media, and wireless data services fields increase the value of their digital design data and improve efficiencies across their entire project lifecycle management processes. For more information about the company, see www.autodesk.com.

Autodesk is a registered trademark of Autodesk, Inc., in the United States and/or other countries. All other brand names, product names, or trademarks belong to their respective holders.

CONTACT:          Autodesk
                  Shannon Hart, 415/507-6241
                  shannon.hart@autodesk.com
                  or
                  Applied Communications for Autodesk
                  Bill Danon, 415/365-0222
                  bdanon@appliedcom.com

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