Ericsson Hijacking Ruined By Cell Phone

Communications Today, Feb 25, 2000

It's too bad Ericsson [ERICY] is so busy at the CeBIT industry show in Germany. Otherwise, company execs may have had time to tell their employees in Greece not to hijack a bus to determine how the victims would react.

Greek authorities reported today that two Ericsson managers staged a mock hijacking, kidnapping and robbery on a busload of 25 fellow employees, according to the Associated Press. The pair asked the travel agency that chartered the bus to stop the vehicle on a highway between Athens and Corinth.

The two carried out their exercise, complete with hoods over their heads and shotguns at their sides. The firearms were reported to not be loaded. They kidnapped an Ericsson colleague in on their plan.

However, the faux bandits didn't count on a bystander with one of the devices Ericsson makes, a mobile phone, mistaking the charade for an actual crime.

Heavily armed Corinth police rushed to the scene. They briefly detained the Ericsson pair and the travel agency staff, but did not say if charges would be filed.

Ericsson officials in Greece would not comment. Ericsson was too busy rolling out products at CeBIT. Its MP3 Handsfree technology downloads music from the Internet to mobile phones.

The Swedish telecom technology giant also offered something for consumers' eyes at the industry show. Its CommuniCam concept camera can be used with mobile phones to send pictures to phones or Internet addresses. Malcolm Spicer