Swedish telecommunications company Ericsson has relocated its South African operations from Woodmead, in Sandton, to Waterfall City, in Midrand.

The company said the motivation for choosing Waterfall was that it was an “award-winning hub of collaboration, innovation, sustainability and best-in-class infrastructure.”

Waterfall has won more than 40 property development awards from various organisations since 2015. Over the past 12 months alone, Waterfall has won awards such as Best Developer Website South Africa; Best Retail Architecture South Africa: Mall of Africa; Best Office Development South Africa: Deloitte and Best Leisure Development South Africa: Munyaka from the African Property Awards. It also won Coolest Mall: Mall of Africa from the Sunday Times Generation Next Awards.

"The move to Waterfall aligns with our global strategy to enable the full value of connectivity by creating game-changing technology and services that are easy to use, adopt and scale.

Furthermore, with African economies positioned for rapid growth in coming years, our new office places us in a strategic position to nurture young African talent, as well as expand our reach and footprint into the continent," said Ericsson Middle East and Africa VP and global customer unit head Nicolas Blixell on February 14.

Ericsson’s new home is in property developer Attacq’s new Corporate Campus office park, which incorporates innovative and sustainable features such as a modernised water and irrigation system, variable refrigerant volume condensers, pedestrian walkways and shaded canted roofs.

"Following the two years of uncertainty brought on by the Covid pandemic, it was important to us to carefully make the transition back to more of an in-office model, while not losing the efficiencies and flexibility we've all become accustomed to with remote working,” Blixell said.

The Corporate Campus is strategically located close to the Mall of Africa, a Netcare hospital, a Curro School, several other high-end office developments and various mixed-use and residential developments. The office park also features an on-site restaurant, two WiFi-enabled 50-seater conference facilities, as well as cycling facilities and showers.

“Attacq's vision of creating collaboration hubs that encourage connectedness, innovation and environmental stewardship aligned well with our commitment to creating a world where limitless connectivity improves lives, redefines business and pioneers a sustainable future," concludes Blixell.

Ericsson is now neighbours with information technology company Dimension Data, professional services company Accenture, car manufacturer Isuzu Motors South Africa, technology services company Decision Inc, pharmaceutical company Boehringer Ingelheim, consulting firm Wood, and the Safety and Security Sector Education and Training Authority.