Sweden's Advanced IT Environment Attracts Linksys to Stockholm; Broadband & Wireless Networking Company Establishes Sweden-Based Office

Business Wire, June 25, 2002

Business Editors & High-Tech Writers

Sweden, the world's leading IT nation, has attracted another major U.S. company to establish a presence within its borders.

Linksys, a leading provider of networking and wireless hardware solutions for the small office/home office (SOHO) and small/medium business (SMB) markets, has set up a regional sales and support office in Stockholm.

Joining the increasing number of American companies moving across the Atlantic to Northern Europe, the new Linksys office will cover the Scandinavian region including Sweden, Norway, Finland, Iceland and Denmark. The company will focus its efforts on delivering and supporting broadband routers, wireless access points, switches and network cards to home and business users.

"Linksys chose Sweden for its regional office because of its strategic location, advanced technology industry and society, and highly skilled workforce," said Robert Auci, director of International Business Development, Linksys. "Our Sweden-based office has already generated over $500,000 in sales in the first two months of operation and we expect an additional $2 million by the year's end."

Sweden has been ranked as the number one IT nation in the world by the IDC/World Times Information Society Index for three consecutive years and is therefore an ideal test bed for new technological products. Linksys plans on taking advantage of Sweden's incredible broadband penetration and high PC/Internet usage to test its new networking technologies.

"We're very pleased Linksys chose Sweden as their regional sales office for the Nordic region. We welcome Linksys and other similar companies to Sweden," stated Mona Sahlin, Cabinet Minister at the Ministry of Industry, Employment and Communications.

"Sweden is an excellent location to establish operations because it has a large technically competent and multilingual workforce. There are also very low start-up costs and lower corporate taxes than in most of the European Union."

Corporations with Sweden Offices

Further evidence supporting Sweden's strong position as a high-tech leader is demonstrated by the wide variety of industry-leading companies that have established centers for operations and research and development in the country. They include:

-- Atmel

-- Cisco Systems

-- Compaq

-- Dell Computers

-- Hewlett-Packard

-- IBM

-- Ingram Micro

-- Intel

-- Microsoft

-- Motorola

-- National Semiconductor

-- Nokia

-- Nortel Networks

-- Oracle

-- RSA Security

-- Sun Microsystems

About Linksys

Linksys, an award-winning global leader in the development of wireless, broadband and LAN networking solutions for the home, small office/home office (SOHO) and small/medium business (SMB) corporate environments, is the leading manufacturer of networking hardware in both retail and e-commerce channels and is the fastest growing networking solution provider for the SMB corporate sector.

Linksys has current memberships with CableLabs, CableHome, DSL Forum, HomePlug, PCI-SIG, UPnP, USB-IF and WECA. Linksys also actively participates and directly contributes in the development of the CableHome specification for routers and residential gateways.

Linksys products are sold in more than 54 countries through leading distributors, computer resellers, direct response, broadband service providers and e-commerce and retail stores worldwide. For more information, visit the Linksys Web site at www.linksys.com, e-mail info@linksys.com or call toll-free 800/LINKSYS (546-5797).

About Invest in Sweden Agency

Invest in Sweden Agency was established by the Swedish government to help attract and facilitate foreign direct investment in Sweden -- Europe's leading IT cluster and a world leader in wireless and mobile Internet.

Sweden provides a strong industrial base, sophisticated multinational customers, active utilization of information technology in both the public and private sectors, an advanced infrastructure, and a highly skilled workforce.

ISA assists companies interested in locating manufacturing sites, research and development facilities, sales offices, and customer interaction centers in Sweden by providing free site selection information and other business related services.

ISA is headquartered in Stockholm, with offices in New York, London, and Tokyo, a branch office in Los Angeles, and representatives in major European, North American, and Asian cities. For more information, visit the agency's Web site at www.isa.se or call the L.A. office at 310/204-6790 or the N.Y. office at 212/702-8780. Questions can be sent via e-mail to isa@usa.isa.se.