In 1997, I handed over the results from the Fiber Network Application Lab (FINAL) to capable hands. They, along with the staff, went on to form the core of a new business that would prove successful and profitable for Ericsson. A new major challenge awaited me in the United States.

Ericsson Inc

When I became head of FINAL in 1995, I walked into an empty office with an empty desk. When I arrived in the U.S. in late 1997, there was nothing there. Ericsson Inc.’s operations were solely focused on mobile communications and were spread across the country. The headquarters were in Dallas, Texas, but there were also operations on the West and East Coasts.

In addition to the importance of good travel routes within the U.S., I knew there would be a need for international routes, particularly to Europe and potentially Japan. Ericsson had an investor relations office in Manhattan, New York City.

I got in touch with Per Bengtsson, who was in charge. Sure enough, I was able to rent an office for my business there. Now, I had three major airports nearby for my extensive business travel. Step one was complete. I had a good base to work from.

The next step was finding a place to live. Given the prices, renting something in Manhattan was out of the question. I had a good friend and a colleague in New Jersey since the early 1980s. He came to the U.S. from Australia with his wife to complete a postdoctoral fellowship. They stayed and had children around the same age as mine. Together, we found an apartment in a condominium complex that I rented in the same county as he lived, but in a different community: Chatham.

I got a U.S. driver's license and bought a car. At first, I drove to work. Back then, there was a large parking lot across from the World Trade Center. I took the ferry across the Hudson River to Manhattan from there, walked through the World Trade Center, and took the subway to Midtown. My favorite bookstore was located on the lower level of the World Trade Center. Later, I started taking the train to Penn Station and walking to work.

The first time I came to Manhattan, in 1981, walking the streets felt like a life-threatening experience. A major change had taken place. No matter what time of day it was, I never felt threatened; I often went home late at night. I was more worried about my children in Stockholm after reading online about what was happening there.

A One-Week Orientation at Headquarters

While at the Dallas headquarters, I received an excellent introduction to Ericsson Inc.’s operations. Despite having spent a great deal of time in the U.S. every year and knowing a great deal about the country, I still learned a few thought-provoking things.

The introduction covered monochronic and polychronic people, as well as the government, economy, and history. It also covered workplace inclusion legislation affecting these areas, intercultural communication, and techniques for effective presentations.

One important aspect is the workplace rules. They are strict, particularly regarding relationships between men and women and between different ethnic groups. Another interesting topic was the cultural differences between the workplaces in Sweden and the United States.

For example, people were well aware of the fact that Swedes avoid conflict. I know this was sometimes exploited by Americans in business contexts. When my colleagues from the Swedish office visited and we met with American contacts, problems sometimes arose. The different cultural codes were not well understood.

The Americans, on the other hand, didn’t understand Swedish business culture. I took it in stride because I was accustomed to the occasional friction. I was familiar with it long before my time at Ericsson. The differences were even more pronounced when Americans and Japanese met to do business.

Time to Get to Work

My title, department, and location were as follows: Director, Systems Strategy Access Network, Global Resources Group, Ericsson Inc., 100 Park Avenue, New York, NY 10017.

By early 1998, I had established routines and started building a network of contacts. As I mentioned earlier, this required a lot of business travel by plane, both domestically and internationally. I visited various operations within the group, not just in the U.S. and reported to my superiors in Sweden and to Örjan Mattsson, who led an operation in California.

Before joining Ericsson, Örjan had served as CEO of Ellemtel. He played a key role in the Swedish telecommunications industry when the AXE prototype evolved into a successful Ericsson product.

Cellular Telephony in the U.S. – A Negative Surprise

When I first arrived at the Dallas headquarters, I expected to be given a cell phone for work purposes. As the dominant company in the U.S. cellular telephony sector, I figured they would equip Ericsson employees who interacted with customers with the company's best phones—but that wasn’t the case.

I went to a store in Manhattan and bought an Ericsson phone. At the time, I thought Nokia phones were better, but as an Ericsson employee, I couldn’t say or show that. In my opinion, we were a leading business-to-business systems company, not for consumer products like phones.

The purchase came with an unpleasant surprise. The phone system was analog. There were also areas in the U.S. with no coverage. It was as if I had arrived in a country that was less technologically advanced. I had long been accustomed to digital systems, which were introduced in the Nordic countries as early as 1991. Nevertheless, I promoted Ericsson phones among my friends in New Jersey.

An American friend of mine bought one and was disappointed. Ericsson’s customer service for individual customers was poor, which is unacceptable for successful companies in North America. I checked it out myself as a customer, not mentioning that I worked at Ericsson, my friend’s criticism was justified.

Creating Internal and External Awareness of Ericsson’s Fiber‑Optic Achievements

Toward the end of 1998, my efforts to establish our Swedish expertise in fiber optics among key figures in the American organization had begun to take hold. I had also begun establishing external contacts in the U.S.

It was mainly companies that developed and built residential areas with single-family homes in various parts of the United States. I was looking for projects where our efficient fiber-optic installation technology could be used to install fiber in subscribers’ homes. We needed a demonstration project.

In the U.S., people generally prefer to own a detached home. I thought that fiber-optic internet connections could positively impact these companies’ marketing efforts. Although we were at the beginning of a period of rapid growth, Sweden was ahead of the U.S. in terms of fiber-optic broadband for residential customers on a per-capita basis.

I learned that Time Warner was planning to build a large complex in Manhattan. This prestigious project would become well known throughout the United States and around the world. Today, it is known as the Deutsche Bank Center.

I reached out to their management and introduced them to our fiber-optic installation technique and the other solutions that the Ericsson Group has to offer in the fixed-network sector. They were interested and wanted to move forward with us.

At the same time, I was trying to find collaborative projects with leading American companies in the field of fiber optics. I had contacted Corning in New York State. They are—and have been for a long time—the world’s leading manufacturer of optical fibers. We held several meetings at our Manhattan office. The goal was for these meetings to lead to a suitable collaborative project. They were interested in our expertise in FTTH, among other things.

Bluetooth

On May 20, 1998, Ericsson introduced Bluetooth to the market for short-range wireless communication of less than 10 meters. Today, the technology allows for longer ranges. I remember my colleagues at the New York office joking with me, saying, "Bengt, now we don't need your optical fibers for subscribers." We all laughed, and I replied, "Don't worry. Bluetooth is just a great complement."

February 1999 – A Shocking Announcement

In February 1999, the CEO of Ericsson Inc. Bo Dimert, who also had an office with Investor Relations while he was in New York City, knocked on my office door and asked me to accompany him to his office. He carefully closed the door and asked me to sit down. Then he said something like this, "I'm sorry, Bengt, but I've received word from Stockholm that the fiber optics at Ericsson is to be shut down."

It was shocking news for all of us working on the “Hilda” project and other fiber-optic projects within the group, myself included. He knew how much work I had put into establishing fiber-optic technology within Ericsson in the U.S. I also believe he was aware of my efforts outside the company.

In Sweden, I was employed by Ericsson’s unit in Hudiksvall, which had a local office in Sundbyberg. As I understood it, this office was not affected by the decision in the same way as other units within the group. Since my contract with Ericsson Inc. was set to expire in 2000, I tried to salvage what I could.

While I was in the U.S., it was difficult to understand what was happening internally within the management team in Sweden. Strange things had happened before, such as the firing of a newly appointed CEO after 15 months. This occurred when the former CEO became chairman of the board for the group.

Palm VII

In May 1999, a product was introduced and marketed only in the New York City area. It resembled the smartphones that would later be developed. It was the Palm VII and cost USD 599. Its dimensions were similar to those of today's devices. There was a row of five buttons at the bottom and a flip-up antenna on the right side.

In the New York City area, it was possible to send emails and access certain web content wirelessly. A separate stylus was used for writing and pointing on the screen. The device was powered by two AAA batteries. The monthly network service cost USD 14.95.

I bought one and showed it at the office. I held it up to my ear and said to Per Bengtsson, "Just imagine, one day we'll be able to use things like this as phones too." He made an overhead slide that looked similar but depicted an Ericsson phone. He reportedly used it when giving presentations about Ericsson to investors.

Apple wouldn't introduce its first iPhone until 2007, which subsequently became the model for what smartphones look like today. In terms of appearance, the difference was that the buttons were replaced with a larger screen and a stylus was no longer needed.

Qeyton Systems AB

At that time, a general crisis had begun to unfold in the telecommunications and information technology industries. Lars Egnell contacted me and asked if we could meet. We met on May 15, 1999, at Newark Airport. He had previously been the head of research at Ericsson's Transport Network Application Lab (TNAL) when I was the head of FINAL. They were working on DWDM technology.

However, the lab had not received funding to continue its operations within Ericsson. He then founded Qeyton Systems AB with two partners. During our meeting, he asked if I was interested in a position with the company.

The Qeyton specialized in metro networks, using DWDM technology to increase the capacity of metropolitan area fiber networks. Its headquarters were in Stockholm. I had known Lars since our days at KTH. He was well aware of my expertise and pioneering contributions to WDM science and technology from 1978 to 1988.

Ola Hultén had opened the door for me at Ericsson, and we worked closely together as the only two managers in the fiber optics division at the Sundbyberg facility from 1995 to 1997. He was now employed by Qeyton.

I told Lars that I was interested, but that I had to wait until my contract with Ericsson expired in 2000 due to my loyalty to the company. We agreed to talk again then.

A Pleasant and Somber Farewell

Bengtsson and I were the only Swedes at the office for most of my time there. His contract ended in 1999. It was time for him to return to Sweden. To celebrate the good times we had together, we went to an event in the World Trade Center park with our partners on Friday evening, July 16, 1999. I gave him a farewell gift that night.

Little did we know, that same evening, a private plane took off from nearby Essex County Airport in New Jersey, bound for Martha's Vineyard Airport in Massachusetts. The plane crashed, killing everyone on board. The pilot was John F. Kennedy Jr., the late President Kennedy’s son, and the passengers were his wife and sister-in-law.

New Leadership in Investor Relations

One of the key people I’d been in contact with early on within the U.S. group was Gary Pinkham, who got the job as the new head of Investor Relations. Since we already knew each other, the transition went smoothly.

I had informed him about my contacts with Corning. On one occasion, he attended a meeting with them at our office and announced that Ericsson Cables AB was up for sale. I was surprised to hear that because the company was profitable in the fiber optics sector and hadn’t been hit as hard as unprofitable units during the restructuring.

I listened to what he had to say. Deep down, I thought, "That's great—maybe I can help save my colleagues' jobs in the fiber optics, even in the long run." Personally, I wouldn't mind working for Corning once my contract expired.

There was chaos within the group regarding fiber optics. I did my best to maintain Corning’s interest, all while being unaware of what was happening at the headquarters in Sweden. I was surprised to hear through the grapevine that Ericsson Cables AB management did not approve of my contacts with them.

Unfortunately, it’s part of Swedish workplace culture to avoid being direct. Instead, people talk behind the backs of those who aren’t told what’s going on. I was a victim of that.

I understood that Corning had contacted the company’s management directly about this matter and was told that the company was not for sale. The head of Investor Relations was either mistaken or misinformed.

I later learned from Corning, off the record, that they had also approached Ericsson Cable AB’s management that they were interested to hire me once my contract with Ericsson Inc. expired. The answer was no.

The company was one of their largest customers for optical fibers, so they did not want to jeopardize that relationship. I never found out what Ericsson’s plans were for me.

New Millennium

I felt well-established in the U.S., and I had a significant other—an American woman—in New Jersey. We celebrated the turn of the millennium at a big party hosted by one of her relatives at their house in Princeton.

In mid-May of 2000, Cisco officially announced its acquisition of Qeyton Systems AB for approximately 800 million USD.

As I look back on it now, I wonder if that hadn’t happened or if Swedish interests had stepped in and outbid Cisco’s offer. If there had still been interest in hiring me, I could have contributed a great deal.

Since Ericsson was no longer interested in fiber optics, other major companies had the opportunity to enter the Swedish market. I was relatively unknown outside of professional circles, but by that time, I had expertise and a network of contacts in scientific and applied photonics that few others in the world possessed—not just in telecom applications.

On top of that, I had strong connections with two major global companies: Corning and Nokia. I had worked with Nokia long before being hired at Ericsson and with Corning during that time. A dream scenario for Sweden was possible: one company, Ericsson, which was already a world leader in mobile telecommunications, and another, Qeyton, which could have become a world leader in fiber-optic fixed networks—not just city networks.

Instead, Sweden’s fiber-optic infrastructure was gradually dismantled. This affected everything from universities to the entire supply chain, including sales and production. This hit many skilled colleagues at various levels hard.

Over the years, I had saved money in the U.S. to use as a backup when my contract ended. Unfortunately, there were no interesting jobs for me in the U.S., either within or outside the Ericsson, and I didn’t want to work in administration. Science and development in photonics are my fields.

The crisis in the industry meant that American scientists and engineers were having trouble keeping their jobs or had lost them altogether. In the fall of 2000, I returned to Sweden and settled into my home in the Stockholm archipelago. The previous years had been tough, with a lot of worldwide travel. I needed a break and some rest in a beautiful natural setting.

But new and interesting things are about to happen! You'll find out all about them on my blog on Tuesday, August 4, 2026. For now, I’m taking a vacation. The Midsummer celebrations have just ended, marking the start of the Swedish vacation month of July. In other parts of Europe, it’s in August.

The two blog posts I’ll publish in July will focus on the Baltic Sea region, which I know well and have written about extensively in Swedish.

For us Swedes, everything returns to normal in August. The peak season is over. Now is the perfect time to visit Sweden. The water is warm in the Baltic Sea and the thousands of lakes. The air temperature and humidity are pleasant, unlike further south. Hotels, tourist resorts, and vacation rentals are no longer fully booked.

If you’re sailing or taking a motorboat out, you'll find that the waters aren't nearly as crowded in August as they are in July. If you want to stop at one of the archipelago's thirty thousand islands, you'll find no shortage of anchorage spots. The right of public access applies here, as well as throughout the rest of Sweden's natural areas. While you’re free to enjoy the outdoors, there are restrictions you must follow.

Next blog

My next blog post is scheduled to be published on Tuesday, July 7, 2026. As previously mentioned, the theme is "The Baltic Sea".

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