Ericsson Exec to Nortel Workers: We’re Going Places

The head of Ericsson’s North American operations says his company has a “very bright future” ahead, and the former Nortel workers the company’s taking on have a chance to be a big part of that.

In Dallas on Thursday, Angel Ruiz made the comments to nearly 1,000 former Nortel employees who have come on board since Ericsson bought the bankrupt equipment giant’s wireless assets for more than $1 billion earlier this year.

"But I told them it's also a very competitive environment and we have to fight for every inch of market share and customer business we get,” Ruiz told the Dallas Morning News. “So let's not forget what got us here,” he added.

Calling Ericsson a family atmosphere, Ruiz went on to talk about the opportunities Ericsson has in 4G technology in the coming months. The company recently signed contracts with Verizon Wireless and MetroPCS to build out 4G and did a deal with Sprint to manage its 4G network.

Thanks to the Nortel acquisition and others, Ericsson’s staff in North America has nearly tripled in size this year from a little more than 5,000 to about 14,000.