Ericsson and MediaTek expand 5G deployment options for CSPs with flexible Carrier Aggregation solution
Ericsson and MediaTek have successfully merged four channels – one FDD (frequency division duplex) and three TDD (time division duplex)– to deliver a downlink speed of 4.36 Gbps, the highest known speed based on this band combination. This four-component carrier (4CC) aggregation combination will increase the 5G deployment options for communications service providers by blending different frequency bands.
In an interoperability development test (IoDT), the two companies completed the 5G data call using one low-band and three mid-band channels in the sub-7GHz frequency range (FR1) bands, where typically most of the 5G data traffic is carried.
The higher throughput that this 4CC combination enables will enhance user experience with faster downloads and seamless video streaming for smartphone users and fixed wireless access subscribers. For service providers, Ericsson’s flexible Carrier Aggregation solution will allow them to maximize use of available spectrum assets to deliver high-quality 5G connectivity.
Sibel Tombaz, Head of Product Line 5G RAN at Ericsson Networks, says: “Carrier Aggregation is crucial to getting the best possible 5G performance out of scattered spectrum assets. At Ericsson, we are persistently exploring all possible frequency band combinations to boost capacity and coverage. We have also shown that Carrier Aggregation is a game changer when it comes to optimizing the combined bandwidth of allocated spectrum assets to deliver higher date rates for a greater number of users.”
HC Hwang, General Manager of Wireless Communication System and Partnership at MediaTek says: “The technology milestone shows MediaTek continues to be at the forefront of NR CA innovation, developing and testing the next generation of 5G SA technologies in close collaboration with industry partners such as Ericsson, ready to integrate into our leading 5G modems.”
Carrier Aggregation is key to deploying high-performing 5G networks. It provides the unique capability to combine many frequency bands, enabling higher speeds and increased cell coverage that improve capacity and user experience. The speed boost can mean better audio and video quality for streaming users, faster file downloads, and a better working environment for digital nomads. By combining FDD spectrum with TDD spectrum, more users can benefit from carrier aggregation gains.
The downlink peak rate of nearly 4.4 Gbps was reached by combining 20MHz of AWS (Advanced Wireless Service) band, 80MHz of CBRS (Citizens Broadband Radio Service) band and 200MHz of C-band spectrum. The test was carried out using MediaTek M80 5G modem, Ericsson’s Baseband 6648, TDD Massive MIMO radios AIR3268, AIR3239, and TDD Radio 4426
Nokia was the big 5G winner in 2022, research shows
IAIN MORRIS, International Editor 2/21/2023
The late Queen Elizabeth II would have called it an annus horribilis. She obviously wasn’t running Nokia in 2019 when its mobile mishaps were fully revealed. That honor went to Rajeev Suri, now boss of satellite operator Inmarsat. Overreliance on a blundering Intel and a subsequent fallback on costly Xilinx chips upset Nokia’s entire 5G pitch. Customers opted for a resurgent Ericsson instead.
Well in advance of its management overhaul in 2020, when Pekka Lundmark replaced Suri in the top job, Nokia had started to work on a fix. As far back as November 2018, a year before markets realized how bad things were, Tommi Uitto had succeeded Marc Rouanne (now chief network officer at Dish) as the head of Nokia’s mobile business. His first goal was to make Nokia less reliant on Intel – whose stumbles on 10-nanometer technology were largely blamed for Nokia’s problems – by finding alternative chip suppliers. He then needed to phase out Xilinx’s field programmable gate arrays (FPGAs), the fallback chips that had torn into Nokia’s profit margins.
On the eve of this year’s Mobile World Congress Barcelona, Nokia’s long turnaround is perhaps finally complete. According to research from both Dell’Oro and Omdia (a Light Reading sister company), the Finnish vendor and South Korea’s Samsung were the biggest gainers in radio access network (RAN) market share last year. That seems to mark the first real improvement for Nokia since 5G was launched.
Profitability had already recovered during the long phaseout of FPGAs. Apparently hurt by the costliness of those chips, the gross margin at Nokia’s networks business (including mobile as well as other technologies) had tumbled by five percentage points in the third quarter of 2019, to just 29.1%, compared with the year-earlier quarter. Across the entire group, it was only 35.3%. Introducing Broadcom and Marvell as chip suppliers alongside Intel, Uitto has been able to ratchet up margins as the stockpile of 5G equipment featuring FPGAs has shrunk.
By the end of 2022, when just 3% of 5G shipments still used FPGAs, Nokia was able to report a full-year gross margin of 38.4% at its newish mobile unit and one of 41% for the whole company. While this remains less than the 44.6% that Ericsson managed at its own mobile network unit last year, the gap has narrowed. Research-and-development (R&D) spending has gone into more competitive system-on-a-chip technology, and company-wide investments have recently risen. Last year, Nokia spent about €4.4 billion (US$4.7 billion) on R&D, up from €4.1 billion ($4.4 billion) in 2021.
Mobile network sales have also grown. After dipping 5% in 2021 on a constant-currency basis, they rose 3% last year. “The target is to take market share and I believe that is what is happening right now,” Lundmark told Light Reading last month. Company statements and senior management remarks show that Nokia’s 4G and 5G RAN market share outside China dipped from 27% at the end of 2019 to 26% last May, when Uitto said it had “stabilized” at that level. Research indicating it eventually beat Ericsson on market-share gains last year is encouraging: the Swedish vendor claims to have picked up six percentage points in RAN market share outside China since 2017, giving it 39% in 2022.
Exactly where Nokia captured market share is not spelled out in the headline research findings by either Dell’Oro or Omdia. Outside China, its earlier dip was blamed on setbacks in the US, with Verizon awarding a $6.6 billion 5G contract to Samsung instead. Previously, it lost out in Germany when Deutsche Telekom decided to switch to Ericsson as a RAN vendor. Data supplied by Strand Consult, a Danish advisory firm, suggests Nokia had previously supplied one third of Deutsche Telekom’s RAN equipment, with the rest provided by Huawei.
But Nokia’s recent gains seem likely to have come at the expense of the Chinese vendor, increasingly viewed by Western countries as a Chinese government stooge and threat to national security. Thierry Breton, the European Union (EU) commissioner for the internal market, was recently sounding off about member states that had not “imposed the necessary restrictions” on so-called “high-risk vendors” – the standard EU designation for Huawei and ZTE. A clampdown could bring further opportunity for Nokia.
One of its main challenges will be fending off smaller players amid telco enthusiasm for open RAN. Worried about relying too heavily on Ericsson and Nokia in a Huawei-less future, some operators have swung behind that concept as an alternative. If it works, its new interfaces should allow telcos to combine products from different suppliers at the same mobile site, instead of buying the whole stack from someone like Nokia, as they mainly do now. This could buoy specialists previously excluded from deals because they could not offer the full RAN portfolio.
Yet there have been few signs of “brownfield” open RAN projects involving specialists. Omdia, which puts global RAN sales last year at about $45.3 billion, cites Ericsson, NEC, Mavenir and Rakuten Symphony as the other vendors – besides Nokia and Samsung – to have grown market share last year. The deals involving NEC, Mavenir and Rakuten, all rightly seen as 5G challengers (if not outright specialists), are mainly with companies building “greenfield” networks, and those account for a tiny piece of the market.
Mavenir made just $100 million in RAN sales last year, while Rakuten earned $200 million. Those figures compare with sales of nearly €10.7 billion ($11.4 billion) at Nokia’s mobile networks unit. Both NEC and Rakuten, moreover, have recently complained about the lack of brownfield progress.
Of all the big kit vendors, Nokia has seemed the most willing to accommodate open RAN, arguing it would have more to lose from a refusal to budge. In Japan, its baseband products already link to other companies’ radios in the network of NTT Docomo, and it has also opened 4G radios there to support baseband software developed by Rakuten. In a conversation with Light Reading last October, Yago Tenorio, Vodafone’s network strategy director, praised Nokia for having “a fully compliant open RAN system.” This is all very awkward for rivals insisting the opposite.
The risk for Nokia is that operators worried about a RAN oligopoly hand open RAN contracts to smaller suppliers. By actively participating in the O-RAN Alliance, the main specifications body, and supporting open RAN in other ways, Nokia could hasten that development and its own decline. But it’s just as likely that open RAN has no big impact before 6G arrives, and even likelier that telcos continue to rely on big vendors for most of their needs. If it can build on last year’s gains, Nokia can afford to be optimistic.
5G to boost emerging markets, Ericsson study says
Saf Malik November 28, 2022
Emerging markets could benefit from GDP growth of between 0.3% and 0.46% through 2035 as a result of potential economic, consumer and environmental benefits of 5G connectivity according to a study from Ericsson and Analysys Mason.
The Future Value of Mobile in Emerging Markets report examines the impact of multiple 5G spectrum deployments across consumer, industry, logistics, rural and public services clusters.
The study spans 15 countries in Asia, Africa and Latin America and indicates that baseline 5G deployment cost is estimated between US$3 billion to US$8 billion per country.
An additional 20% to 35% investment is required to extend coverage.
Most countries are expected to generate overall economic benefits (GDP) three to seven times higher than the incremental cost of extending coverage.
Results suggest that 5G mobile broadband can generate consumer surplus between US$1 billion to US$10 billion per country, with coverage extension giving 20% to 40% extra consumer surplus.
The paper adds that adopting 5G can help reduce emissions by supporting digital transformation in agriculture, freight and logistics, smart factories and construction.
Andrew Lloyd, head of government and policy advocacy at Ericsson said: “This Analysys Mason Future Value of Mobile in Emerging Markets report provides a detailed breakdown, based on comprehensive research into realistic and achievable scenarios in each of the 15 countries, of the potential economic, social, environmental and national benefits of 5G in these markets.
“With the backing of governments, regulators and policy makers, each of these 15 countries, and their citizens, stand to benefit significantly from 5G connectivity.
“In addition to economic benefits, 5G can also reduce climate impact, increase social inclusion, wellbeing and tackle the digital divide in areas where fixed infrastructure availability is poor.”
The methodology used national government statistics and reports, based on population density distribution and existing national infrastructure such as road and rail networks and agriculture.
Expanded mid-band 5G coverage was identified as a key success factor in the report, with the potential to deliver around 80% of the economic benefits.
Ericsson 5G portfolio update
Ericsson 5G portfolio update
Nokia and TPG Telecom set new 5G uplink speed record in Australia
16 November 2022
* In an Australian first, Nokia and TPG Telecom demonstrated a 5G uplink speed of 2 Gbps
* The live demonstration used Nokia’s commercial AirScale Radio solution together with TPG Telecom’s 5G mmWave spectrum
* Fast uplink speed is critical for Industrial and IoT applications running over 5G
Sydney, Australia – Nokia and TPG Telecom today announced they have hit a 5G uplink speed of 2 Gigabits per second (Gbps). Using TPG Telecom’s 5G mmWave spectrum, this milestone was achieved during a live demonstration at the Nokia 5G Futures Lab in Sydney, Australia.
The new Australian 5G uplink record, which follows on from a number of Australian 5G speed records announced by Nokia earlier in the year, will enable Nokia and its customers such as TPG Telecom to offer ultra-high-performing, low-latency services for Industrial and IoT applications which are heavily reliant on high-speed uplink connectivity. The solution is expected to be fully deployed next year as devices that support this capability become available.
The live demonstration involved a commercially available Nokia AirScale 5G mmWave base station utilising TPG Telecom’s 26 GHz spectrum to connect, over the air, to a 5G device powered by a Snapdragon X65 5G Modem-RF System featuring fourth-generation Qualcomm QTM545 mmWave antenna modules. Additionally, Nokia deployed its industry-leading Carrier Aggregation (CA) technology to fully leverage the available spectrum assets. The CA setup included four component carriers of 100 MHz each in the 26 GHz band.
The demonstration also leveraged Nokia’s 5G Core to provide the speed, intelligence, and security for testing the delivery of new advanced 5G services.
Once deployed, 5G mmWave technology will create new service opportunities for both consumers and industries. For consumers it will allow real-time multi-user 8K ultra-high-definition bi-directional video streaming, and augmented reality content for smartphones or wearable devices for immersive experiences.
For industries it will enable streaming of massive amounts of data directly from embedded IoT sensors and industrial robots over 5G, allowing the real-time control of industrial processes using powerful 5G connected Edge Compute Nodes. This concept of processor offload across 5G was also demonstrated at the event using “Spot” – the 5G connected Robot Dog – developed in conjunction with academics at the University of Technology Sydney.
Dr Robert Joyce, Chief Technology Officer at Nokia Oceania, said: “Super-fast uplink speeds are critical to fully realise the huge benefits of 5G networks, particularly as we look to emerging technologies like augmented intelligence, machine learning, advanced sensors and robotics that are set to transform industries and economies with huge safety, productivity and efficiency outcomes as we move towards the metaverse era. For consumers and industries alike, the future is exciting. Pushing the boundaries of 5G with innovative customers like TPG Telecom in Australia is a big part of this journey forward.”
Giovanni Chiarelli, Chief Technology Officer at TPG Telecom, said: “We are very proud of this achievement and other mobile technology innovations we continue to develop with Nokia. This demonstration is important as it shows the huge potential of 5G mobile technology and gives a glimpse of the high-speed services that will one day be available to customers and businesses right across Australia.”
Ericsson, Nokia, and Huawei Among Top 20 Companies Helping Telcos Achieve Their Sustainability Goals
– ABI Research, 15 Nov, 2022
ABI Research releases comprehensive sustainability assessment of telco technology suppliers
NEW YORK, Nov. 15, 2022 /PRNewswire/ — The Sustainability Assessment: Telco Technology Suppliers by global technology intelligence firm ABI Research provides an unrivaled tool to identify partners best placed to help telcos drive sustainability initiatives as well as identify the best practice operations of suppliers that can be replicated. This unbiased examination of 81 telecommunications suppliers supporting telecommunication operator sustainability initiatives assesses vendors on sustainability criteria across nine categories, including 5G Radio Access Network (RAN) equipment, massive Multiple-Input Multiple-Output (mMIMO) antennae, Open RAN hardware and software, on-site renewable energy solutions, free cooling systems, liquid cooling systems, Artificial Intelligence (AI)-driven software, antenna solutions, and 5G cloud-native platforms. Sustainability initiatives were considered across two major dimensions; present-day implementation (the ability to scale impact), including the global rollout of 5G and market share of equipment, and forward-looking impact, evaluating the innovation of the technologies for reducing carbon emissions and waste, such as using next- generation silicon and integrating AI and Machine Learning (ML) to reduce the overall energy consumption of the equipment.
The results of the assessment highlight leaders in four different supplier groups:
Traditional Network Equipment Vendors
Non-traditional Network Equipment Vendors
Chipset and Component Vendors
Software Vendors
Across all the telco equipment categories, the leaders that demonstrated the most capabilities in their products and services for improving telecommunication operator’s sustainability are Ericsson, Nokia, Huawei, ZTE, Samsung, Intel, Qualcomm, NEC, Mavenir, Cisco, Fujitsu, Rakuten Symphony, CommScope, Dell, AMD, IBM (Red Hat), VMware, Airspan, Parallel Wireless, and Schneider Electric.
According to Kim Johnson, Sustainable Technologies Principal Analyst at ABI Research, “ABI Research offers this comprehensive research as a tool to help select sustainable partners in the telecom industry and to identify industry best practices. With the evolution of network virtualization and cloudification, the total number of telco equipment vendors is growing. With this increase of potential partners, vendors must work together to optimize various layers and components of the networks, address soaring levels of 5G energy consumption, and respond to climate change industry-wide.”
ABI Research’s overall assessment identified the providers with the greatest ability to scale sustainable impact across the industry. Based on this analysis, ABI Research concludes that, for now, the traditional network equipment vendors are likely to be the best positioned to help telcos improve their overall sustainability strategies and achieve climate targets. “However, the other supplier groups are increasingly contributing to the sustainability of telco networks every day and should not be underestimated, given the complexities of the sustainability challenge and the innovation needed to advance to net zero carbon emissions,” Johnson notes. The next most important grouping in the assessment is non-traditional network equipment vendors, while the third tier for reducing industry-wide carbon emissions and waste are the chipset and component vendors and software providers. One company that supersedes this classification is Intel, as an integrated device manufacturing (IDM) leader and technology provider that maintains legacy partnerships with traditional vendors and overlaps in multiple network areas.
Johnson highlights, “The companies that were identified as the most impactful industry-wide incorporate a multitude of sustainability initiatives. They employ eco-design principles, using less aluminum and other materials while making equipment lightweight, modular, and compact for simplified installation and tower sharing. The leaders are designing and making energy efficient radios and equipment with specialized silicon and integrated, intelligent, and programmable hardware and software.”
The traditional leaders, Ericsson and Nokia, also have 5G smart factories recognized as “Global Lighthouse” manufacturing facilities and Fourth Industrial Revolution (4IR) pioneers by McKinsey and the World Economic Forum. The Ericsson USA 5G smart factory runs on 100% renewable energy with integrated environmental systems that reduce energy consumption by 24% and water use by 75%. Nokia’s 5G “factory of the future” in Oulu, Finland, leverages Nokia’s private wireless networks for secure and reliable connectivity for factory assets, IoT analytics, and a real-time digital twin of factory operations data.
“In addition to supporting sustainable manufacturing and operational practices, all the companies in the Sustainability Assessment are focused on breaking the 5G energy curve. These companies are leading the way for advancing network technologies and performance while reducing energy consumption and global carbon emissions,” Johnson concludes.
These findings are from ABI Research’s Sustainability Assessment: Telco Technology Suppliers report. This report is part of the company’s Sustainable Technologies research service, which provides actionable research and data designed to help companies go from sustainability pledges to sustainability execution by identifying technologies, vendors, and programs that accelerate sustainability efforts, such as reducing carbon emissions and waste.
Nokia Bell Labs taps Keysight for 5G-Advanced, 6G tests
By Monica AllevenNov 10, 2022
According to Keysight, Nokia selected its technology to accelerate research and development critical to supporting 5G-Advanced and 6G use cases that leverage millimeter wave (mmWave) and sub-terahertz (THz) frequencies to wirelessly transmit large amounts of data across short distances.
Keysight’s 6G test bed was chosen to verify, under both linear and nonlinear conditions, the performance of TRX modules, power amplifiers and antennas. Nokia designed these network infrastructure components by leveraging complex modulation technology and D-Band (110 GHz to 170 GHz) and E-Band (60 GHz to 90 GHz) spectrum.
At last month’s 2022 Brooklyn 6G Summit, Keysight and Nokia demonstrated the 6G test bed in combination with Nokia’s RFIC and radio-on-glass technology. The demonstration showcased the use of the 6G test bed for evaluating the performance of an individual component or a cascaded series of components in an end-to-end system, according to the companies.
“Working with Keysight enables us to make significant progress in developing next generation wireless technology. Cross-industry collaborations are important in co-innovating technology that merges physical, digital and human domains to create immersive experiences that support meaningful interactions,” said Nokia Bell Labs Core Research President Peter Vetter in a statement.
Nokia got flak for lagging in 5G, but Nishant Batra, chief strategy and technology officer at Nokia, told Fierce last month that the company will make sure that doesn’t happen with 6G.
Indeed, in a blog post earlier this year, Nokia spelled out how it’s working closing with industry organizations, government agencies and academia to make 6G technologies a reality. Nokia said it was selected to lead major 6G initiatives in the U.S., and it’s leading the Hexa-X-II project in Europe that’s designed to lay the groundwork for 6G standardization.
In it, the organization examines potential 6G use cases and notes that it is not likely that the 6G standards work will appear in a 3GPP release until after Release 19 or 20. 6G is expected to be ready for commercial deployment starting around 2030.
President of 5G Americas Chris Pearson said in a blog post that 5G is still expected to evolve into “5G-Advanced” standards beginning in 2023-2024 with Release 18 all the way through 2026 with Release 22.
And while 5G development continues, it’s informing the industry as to the kind of recommendations that will go into the International Telecommunications Union (ITU)-defined “IMT” document (IMT-2030) that will set the course for the development of 6G for the next decade, he said.
Nokia Bell Labs has selected Keysight Technologies’ sub-Terahertz (THz) test bed to verify the performance of 5G-Advanced and 6G transceiver (TRX) modules.
Samsung, Nokia Power 5G mmWave Potential
by Dan Meyer, Executive Editor
November 8, 2022
Samsung and Nokia are part of an Australian 5G millimeter wave (mmWave) network that could show broader deployment promise in support of higher-speed fixed-wireless access (FWA) networks. The effort is around bridging that country’s digital divide.
Samsung was part of an infrastructure test conducted with Australia’s NBN Co., which is a quasi-government entity tasked with expanding broadband across that country using its nbn wholesale network. The vendor said it was able to beam a 5G signal 6.2 miles from an FWA location using spectrum in the 28 GHz band that produced an average downlink speed of 1.75 Gb/s and uplink speed of 61.5 Mb/s.
The test aggregated eight 100 megahertz carriers, with total support of 800 megahertz of spectrum. This taps into the significant amount of available mmWave spectrum in most parts of the world.
Samsung used its Compact Macro integrated radio to beam the high-powered signal. This unit includes the baseband, radio, and antenna into a single form factor.
This signal was beamed to a “third-party 5G mmWave customer premise equipment (CPE).”
Nokia had previously announced it was supplying 5G FWA mmWave CPE equipment for nbn’s efforts that also operates in the 28 GHz band with similar performance characteristics stated by Samsung for its test, including a range of up to 6.2 miles from the transmission tower. However, Samsung said that Nokia’s equipment was not part of its test.
Nokia noted that its CPE includes an antenna installed on the roof of a premises that is linked using a 2.5 Gb/s power over Ethernet (PoE) connection to an indoor unit that powers the on-premises internet connectivity.
The Australian project is working with around $485 million in funding provided by the government and NBN Co. It’s focused on expanding the reach of the country’s existing fixed wireless footprint by 50% and offering tiered services at different price points.
The nbn FWA network covers nearly 650,000 premises in the country. The firm wants to add at least 120,000 locations that are currently served by a satellite-based service.
5G mmWave Expansion
The test is significant as it shows potential use cases for difficult to deploy mmWave spectrum. Those bands, which are typically considered to be at least 15 GHz, typically have poor propagation characteristics. This means that the signals don’t travel very far from a transmitter and are easily blocked by materials.
Many operators around the world hold and use hundreds of megahertz of spectrum in these bands, but deployments are typically limited to short-range or indoor locations.
Verizon, for instance, has been plagued by coverage issues in deploying its vast mmWave spectrum resources.
The NBN work is able to overcome some of those challenges by being able to boost the signal strength in low population density rural locations that have minimal interference characteristics. The service is also using FWA CPEs that have a constant power source and remove the receiver from the on-premises device to separate heat and power issues.
Vendors are beginning to look more closely in tying mmWave spectrum bands to mid-band spectrum to provide a speed boost to 5G services.
“At Qualcomm we believe that 5G mmWave is not an either or, it’s not really a choice, it’s complementary to midband when you want to offer the best possible quality of experience wherever your subscriber is,” Philippe Poggianti, VP of business development at Qualcomm, noted earlier this year.
UPDATED: This story was updated by removing the statement that Nokia was “likely” the CPE provider for the nbn test and to further clarify that Nokia was not part of the Samsung test.
Ericsson 5G portfolio update puts energy efficiency center stage
Seven new RAN products and solutions led by the flagship dual-band Radio 4490, which consumes 25 percent less power compared to current product
Easy-to-deploy portfolio additions also include compact active-passive antennas, high-capacity ultra-lightweight Massive MIMO radios, and software features for energy savings and enhanced 5G performance
Powered by next-generation Ericsson Silicon, the additions will lead to lower-footprint 5G sites, boosting bandwidth, energy efficiency and user experience
PRESS RELEASE FEB 17, 2022
Ericsson (NASDAQ: ERIC) continues to strengthen its radio access network (RAN) portfolio with solutions that address the 5G rollout and sustainability goals of communications service providers. Announced today, the portfolio additions will deliver sizeable energy savings and up to ten-fold capacity increases – with minimal or no added footprint.
Leading the portfolio enhancements is Radio 4490, a dual-band radio that delivers 25 percent lower power consumption and lesser weight compared to the current product. This radio type is compatible with most of the radio sites globally as it supports the main FDD (Frequency Division Duplex) bands being used by many service providers for their 5G deployment.
Ericsson is also launching a high-power version of the new dual-band radio, 4490 HP, which enables up to 50 percent more output power compared to current radios. The two new radios apply passive cooling – reducing power consumption further, as fans are not needed. They are also Cloud RAN-ready.
Per Narvinger, Head of Product Area Networks, Ericsson, says: “We continue to evolve our RAN portfolio with more solutions for smart, slim and sustainable 5G networks. Our latest innovations will further optimize 5G sites for both purpose-built and Cloud RAN deployments.“
5G rollouts are accelerating across the world, with frontrunners gearing up for the shift to 5G Standalone to drive new consumer and enterprise use cases. Introducing 5G means added spectrum and hardware – which is where Ericsson’s new products play a key role through the ability to raise capacity while slashing power usage – fueling efforts to break the energy curve.
The portfolio additions also include:
Easy-to-install 64T/R Massive MIMO AIR 6428 for mid-band, with 400MHz bandwidth for efficient RAN sharing, in a single-person-carry 25kg radio
Highly integrated, multi-band Antenna 4602 – only 398mm wide, designed for best wind load durability and for maintained site build requirements
Next-generation Interleaved AIR 3218 with industry-leading low height and weight, enabling Massive MIMO rollouts without growing visual antenna footprint
Expanded Deep Sleep mode software for new radios and Massive MIMO portfolios. Consumes up to 70 percent less power per radio during low traffic hours
Coverage Boost is a versatile 5G carrier aggregation software that delivers 60 percent wider reach for mid-band TDD (Time Division Duplex) compared to dual connectivity. It supports RAN Compute and Cloud RAN platforms
The new products are powered by next-generation Ericsson Silicon, with its footprint-reducing, less power-consuming multi-band, and wide-band capabilities for remote and Massive MIMO radios.
Videos: Ericsson experts explain the benefits of the new RAN products
Gede Darmayusa , Director and CTO, PT XL Axiata, says: “XL Axiata always strives to provide the best customer experience to meet the ever-increasing demand for data services through the adoption of new technologies and other network initiatives. We have been pioneering the use of Ericsson’s first-generation dual-band radio technology since 2019. With the launch of the new dual-band 4T4R radio, we expect this innovation to continue to help us maximize user experience with greater energy efficiency and operational excellence.”
Ed Gubbins, Principal Analyst at Global Data, says: “With this launch Ericsson has shown its commitment to sustainability through energy-efficient products and solutions for 5G rollouts and site expansions. Ericsson’s recipe includes in-house silicon, innovative radio and antenna product engineering, and advanced software features.
Appalachian Wireless will deploy a 5G SA network using Ericsson gear
By Sue Marek Sep 27, 2022
Rural wireless operator Appalachian Wireless will deploy a cloud-native dual-mode standalone 5G (SA) network that also supports 4G.
Mike Johnson, Assistant CEO of Appalachian Wireless, said that the first phase of the company’s 5G deployment will be in its low-band 600 MHz spectrum. However, the company is also looking at other options such as repurposing its 800 MHz spectrum and also deploying 5G in its mid-band spectrum. Appalachian Wireless’ web site says that it plans to decommission its 3G network by year-end.
Appalachian Wireless, which is also known as East Kentucky Network, participated in the FCC’s 3.45 GHz spectrum auction (Auction 110) and acquired two spectrum licenses for $4.34 million and the FCC’s C-band auction (Auction 107) and acquired one license for $7.4 million.
The company’s decision to initially rollout using its low-band spectrum isn’t surprising. Appalachian Wireless CEO Allen Gillum said during a FierceWireless Executive Panel on 5G at the Competitive Carriers Association’s Mobile Carriers Show last April that the company was planning to deploy 5G in its low-band spectrum and “mirror” its LTE coverage. Gillum also said that the company had some millimeter wave (mmWave) spectrum in addition to its mid-band spectrum holdings.
Rural operators encouraged by upcoming 2.5 GHz auction
Appalachian Wireless will use Ericsson’s container-based dual-mode 5G core and its 5G RAN for the SA network. In addition, the company will replace its existing 4G network equipment with Ericsson’s gear and build a dual-mode core network for 4G and 5G. The goal, the company said, is to be able to future-proof its network and deliver advanced services to its customers, many of which reside in rural eastern Kentucky.
5G deployments by rural operators will be a hot topic of discussion during this week’s Competitive Carriers Association (CCA) annual show in Portland, Oregon. FierceWireless will be hosting a breakfast at the conference on “Mobile Meets Fixed: How 5G Fixed Wireless Traffic Will Grow Alongside Mobile.”
MTN Nigeria and Ericsson Launch 5G Services
Phase one of the launch will cover certain parts of Lagos and Nigeria
The historic launch is set to provide consumers and enterprises with innovative 5G applications
PRESS RELEASE SEP 19, 2022
Ericsson (NASDAQ: ERIC) and MTN Nigeria have reached a historic milestone with the successful launch of 5G services. This landmark deal is the result of a fruitful collaboration spanning 21 years reaffirming a rich culture of partnerships between the two parties.
The first phase of the launch covers certain parts of Lagos and Nigeria where Ericsson’s 5G technology – which includes 5G Radio Access Network & NSA Packet Core – will accelerate the development and digitalization of key sectors such as education, healthcare and manufacturing. It will also empower consumers and enterprises with innovative 5G applications that will unlock the true potential of the Internet of Things (IoT), Artificial Intelligence (AI), Smart cities and Immersive Communication over Augmented (AR) and Virtual reality (VR) for millions of new consumers in the country.
With Ericsson Radio System, MTN will provide advanced Mobile broadband & fixed wireless access services which shall unlock a range of new opportunities in the Enterprise domain. The new 5G services can bring about unique Sustainable Development initiatives for agriculture, energy, financial inclusion, and security, among others, overcoming past institutional challenges and barriers to growth.
Mohammed Rufai, Chief Technical Officer, MTN Nigeria says: “5G will revolutionize the way we live and communicate across industries. With the speeds 5G offers, we will be able to experience the internet with low latency, which means no lag, making our virtual interactions more real. At MTN, we will continue to pursue the rollout of 5G technology to revolutionize internet access across the continent.”
Hossam Kandeel, Vice President of Ericsson Middle East and Africa, says: “5G is not just about speed. 5G helps people do more with their devices, unlocking a whole new world of possibilities for society. 5G connectivity is likely to pave the way for life-altering advancements and we are proud to be a part of Nigeria’s 5G digital transformation that has only just begun. With connectivity being the backbone of digitization, we are committed to delivering the best service to our partners at MTN Nigeria to support them in this thrilling journey.”
In the future, MTN Nigeria’s Ericsson-powered 5G network will be driven by software-defined network capabilities where a combination of currently available and well-understood AI techniques will allow a higher degree of practical autonomous operation. AI is creating opportunities in terms of improved performance, higher efficiency, enhanced customer experience as well as creating new business models and use cases for 5G, IoT and enterprise.
Nokia flexes new 5G partnership
Saf Malik September 16, 2022
Nokia will team with Flex Brazil to deploy 5G SA private wireless networks in its manufacturing facilities in Brazil.
Initial use cases will focus on increasing wireless applications and exploring the potential of 5G for reliable connectivity, massive transfers of operational data and greater layout flexibility on the shop floor.
Nokia Digital Automation Cloud (Nokia DAC) will provide the wireless on-demand service as well as MX Industrial Edge computing and digital-enabling applications.
Marcelo Entreconti, Head of Enterprise for Latin America, Nokia, said: “The partnership will leverage our strength in advanced networking and mission-critical communications with Flex long experience in manufacturing and supply chain innovation.
“Together, we will explore the power of Industry 4.0 to transform how we manufacture and distribute goods in this new digital world.”
The collaboration is part of a long-term goal from both firms to introduce innovative Industry 4.0 solutions in the supply chain and manufacturing verticals to make operations more agile and cost effective.
Flex has over 100 sites worldwide and plays a key role in manufacturing and supply chain operations.
“We welcome the collaboration with Nokia to join us on this journey to expand the scope of our solutions by integrating Nokia’s 5G private wireless expertise to improve our current operations efficiency and prepare for the future of manufacturing at the same time.”
Ericsson provides Malaysia’s 5G rollout with new generation radio equipmentEricsson claims its AIR 3268 radio’s are 18 percent more energy-efficient
September 16, 2022 By Paul Lipscombe
Malaysia’s joint-5G network will be supplied by Ericsson’s new generation radio equipment, with the vendor to provide its new antenna-integrated radio AIR 3268.
Digital Nasional Berhad (DNB) will deploy Ericsson’s network across the country, with the radio AIR 3268’s expected to reduce energy consumption for Malaysia’s 5G network.
DNB will be the first company in Asia to deploy this new radio, notes Ericsson, which it claims to be 18 percent more energy-efficient than the previous generation.
This new radio will support Massive MIMO architecture, and uplink booster capabilities, and will be more energy-efficient when using 5G over mid-band frequencies.
“The AIR 3268’s improved energy efficiency will reduce the cost of operations and impact on the environment,” said Ericsson head of Malaysia, Sri Lanka, and Bangladesh David Hägerbro.
“The new generation radios that will be deployed throughout Malaysia by Digital Nasional Berhad will be comparatively more energy efficient, thereby ensuring a more sustainable and responsible 5G rollout.”
Ericsson claims that the radio is the lightest and smallest Massive MIMO radio in the industry, at 12kg and 23 liters.
DNB wants to drive Malaysia’s 5G market
The DNB was set up last year by the Malaysian government to speed up the deployment of 5G services across the country.
The new company has sought to partner with all six of the main operators in the country — Maxis, U Mobile, Telekom Malaysia, YTL Communications, Celcom Axiata, and DiGi –and all take equity stakes in a state-controlled 5G single wholesale network run by the DNB.
All six of the operators agreed to the proposals last month, after being offered a combined 70 percent stake in DNB, dependent on all six operators agreeing to the terms.
However Maxis and U Mobile pulled out at the last minute, as neither saw benefits to the agreement, although both ‘want to remain in talks for access to DNB’s 5G network’.
Operators have been skeptical of the proposals put forward by the DNB, with many initially reluctant to agree to the plans, but the DNB has insisted its 5G strategy will keep costs lower and speed up the deployment of 5G services in the country, which has faced regular delays.
The DNB says the rollout will cost RM16.5 billion ($3.7bn) for the next decade, with Ericsson selected as the network equipment provider.
DiGi and Celcom to merge?
Two of the six Malaysian operators that agreed to the initial 5G terms by the DNB are reportedly closing on a merger.
Developing Telecoms reports that DiGi, which is owned by Norwegian-based Telenor, and Celcom have received regulatory approval from the Securities Commission Malaysia over a proposed deal.
The two telcos are the second, and third biggest in the country, and want to compete against Maxis, the country’s number one mobile network operator.
Telenor noted in a stock exchange update that the merger is dependent on approval from Bursa Malaysia, plus shareholders of Axiata, and DiGi.
Telenor expects the merger to be finalized by the end of this year.
Ericsson radio Air 3268 to reduce consumption for Malaysia’s 5G network
By Kenn Anthony Mendoza
Ericsson’s energy-saving radios Air 3268 claims it will reduce power consumption of Malaysia’s 5G network being deployed by Digital Nasional Berhad.
The Malaysian 5G network claims to be the first in Asia to deploy Ericsson’s radio which is 18% more energy-efficient than its previous generation radio.
Air 3268 supports Ericsson’s massive Mimo architecture and uplink booster capabilities that deliver network performance.
At 12kg and 23 litres, Ericsson claims that the Air 3268 is the lightest and smallest massive Mimo radio in the industry.
With 200W output power, 32 transceivers and passive cooling, the radio weighs about 40% less than the earlier generation, making installations easy on towers, rooftops, poles, and walls.
“The Air 3268’s improved energy efficiency will reduce the cost of operations and impact on the environment,” said Ericsson head Malaysia, Sri Lanka, and Bangladesh David Hägerbro.
“The new generation radios that will be deployed throughout Malaysia by Digital Nasional Berhad will be comparatively more energy efficient, thereby ensuring a more sustainable and responsible 5G rollout,” Hägerbro added.
The Air 3268 is designed with Ericsson Silicon to provide real-time channel estimation and beamforming that improves coverage and user experience.
With its reduced size and weight, Air 3268 will also simplify site upgrades even in locations where the number of antennas is limited.
This first appeared in the subscription newsletter CommsWire on 16 September 2022.
Ericsson claims sustainability gains with tri-sector 5G radio
Joe O’Halloran, Computer Weekly
02 Sep 2022
At the beginning of 2022, Ericsson unveiled a radio access network (RAN) portfolio with systems designed to address the global acceleration in 5G roll-out and the sustainability goals of communications service providers. In the latest part of this strategy, the comms tech provider has launched a radio product designed to address the ever-growing need of communications service providers (CSPs) for more sustainable offerings.
The Radio 6646’s low-band spectrum capabilities are said to be able to significantly boost both 5G coverage and mid-band (3.5GHz) performance in an energy-efficient way, extending the multiband capabilities of Ericsson tri-sector products by combining 900, 800 and 700MHz frequency bands into one compact 2G to 5G-capable radio.
This is said to be able to produce a 40% reduction in energy usage compared with single-sector products, translating to yearly savings per site comparable to charging an electric car 40 times.
In addition, Ericsson noted that the 60% reduction in weight of the new triple-band, tri-sector radio will further help CSPs to minimise deployment costs and reduce their carbon footprint. One Radio 6646 can do the job of nine single-band radios.
Radio 6646 is also designed to increase the wide-area reach, outside-in coverage from rooftops and towers to indoor locations such as offices, basements, stores and homes. It will also increase the capacity of 5G networks, especially when combined with mid-band TDD over Carrier Aggregation and 5G Standalone (5G SA).
The new radio also supports the 700MHz band, which is expected to be one of the key spectrums for 5G SA deployments, where low bands extend the performance and reach of mid-band TDD.
With three low bands combined, Radio 6646 will enhance both outdoor and indoor coverage for all mobile generations – 2G to 5G – as well as the internet of things. The frequencies are widely supported by devices and, according to Ericsson, will provide “immense” potential to increase growth of 5G services.
Radio 6646 follows the 2021 launch of the dual-band, tri-sector Radio 6626, which is commercially available across global markets. Ericsson also unveiled earlier this year seven new 5G RAN services that deliver sizeable energy savings and up to tenfold capacity increases – with minimal or no added footprint.
“Our new energy-efficient radio uniquely combines spectrum capabilities in an easy-to-install form factor,” said David Hammarwall, head of product area networks at Ericsson.
“This will simplify deployments and extend 5G coverage, starting in Europe. With this latest innovation, service providers can scale up 5G Standalone deployments with new applications for consumers, enterprises and mission-critical communications.”
Vicente Abad, RAN technology and support manager at Telefónica Spain, added: “Ericsson’s new Radio 6646 will offer a highly compact and flexible solution to expand 5G coverage in a very cost-efficient manner while being economical and sustainable. The footprint and energy consumption achieved are something we believe will be a powerful driver for 5G, and we look forward to the first deployments in Spain.”
Swedish comms tech provider makes further inroads into more sustainable networks with the introduction of a new triple-band, tri-sector radio that is said to be able to do the job of nine radios
Ericsson raises sustainability bar with triple-band, tri-sector 5G radio
NEWS SEP 01, 2022
The new radio extends the multiband capabilities of Ericsson tri-sector products by combining 900, 800, and 700MHz frequency bands into one compact 2G to 5G-capable radio. With the ever-growing need of communications service providers (CSPs) for more sustainable solutions, Radio 6646’s low-band spectrum capabilities will significantly boost both 5G coverage and mid-band (3.5GHz) performance in an energy-efficient way.
A 40-percent reduction in energy usage can translate to yearly savings per site that is comparable to charging an electric car 40 times. Moreover, the 60-percent reduction in weight of the new triple-band, tri-sector radio will further help CSPs to minimize deployment costs, tower rent as well as carbon footprint. One Radio 6646 can do the job of nine single-band radios.
Vicente Abad, RAN Technology and Support Manager at Telefonica Spain, says: “Ericsson’s new Radio 6646 will offer a highly compact and flexible solution to expand 5G coverage in a very cost-efficient manner while being economical and sustainable – the footprint and energy consumption achieved are something we believe will be a powerful driver for 5G, and we look forward to the first deployments in Spain.”
David Hammarwall, Head of Product Area Networks at Ericsson, says: “Our new energy-efficient radio uniquely combines spectrum capabilities in an easy-to-install form factor. This will simplify deployments and extend 5G coverage, starting in Europe. With this latest innovation, service providers can scale up 5G Standalone deployments with new applications for consumers, enterprises, and mission-critical communications.”
Radio 6646 will expand the wide-area reach, outside-in coverage from rooftops and towers to indoor locations such as offices, basements, stores, and homes. It will also increase the capacity of 5G networks, especially when combined with mid-band TDD over Carrier Aggregation and 5G Standalone (5G SA).
The new radio also supports the 700MHz band, which is expected to be one of the key spectrums for 5G SA deployments, where low bands extend the performance and reach of mid-band TDD. With three low bands combined, Radio 6646 will enhance both outdoor and indoor coverage for all mobile generations – 2G to 5G – as well as IoT. The frequencies are widely supported by devices and provide immense potential to increase growth of 5G services.
Radio 6646 follows the 2021 launch of the dual-band, tri-sector Radio 6626, which is commercially available across global markets. Ericsson also unveiled earlier this year seven new 5G RAN solutions that deliver sizeable energy savings and up to ten-fold capacity increases – with minimal or no added footprint.
Ericsson is once again setting the pace for sustainable networks with the introduction of a new triple-band, tri-sector radio that can do the job of nine radios. Radio 6646 cuts energy consumption by 40 percent compared to triple-band single-sector radios and, with reduced weight – including use of aluminum – by 60 percent, minimizes site footprint as well.
The 5G Factor: News on T-Mobile, Ericsson, Qualcomm, Thales, Vonage, and more
Ericsson 5G portfolio update puts energy efficiency center stage
Nokia CEO: ‘Next big thing’ will be industrial investment in 5G
5G set to generate $7tn worth of economic value in 2030
By Joe O’Halloran, Computer Weeklym 19 August 2022
Study from mobile and video technology developer finds adoption of 5G is outpacing all previous generations of cellular technology in terms of subscription rate, leading to vast value by 2030
The growth of 5G is carrying on at an unprecedented rate compared with other generations of mobile communications. According to a study released by InterDigital and ABI Research, it’s on track to generate $7tn of economic value in 2030, 12 years after the official 3GPP standard was published.
The State of 5G report: Enabling the boundless generation claims the prospect for operators looks promising, as they witness the exponential rise of 5G and its growth opportunities – especially as 5G is set to support a wide range of revenue generating, mission critical applications. It notes that many operators and their partner suppliers are finding ways to develop new and better features in support of the network performance capabilities needed to realise the potential of 5G networks and its economic benefits.
The report examines the expectations of telecom operators as they look to capitalise on the latest generation of cellular technology to maintain and grow their profitability, and discusses the impact 5G is likely to have on the evolution of the mobile industry, particularly as it continues to enable innovative services such as augmented reality (AR), virtual reality (VR) and immersive content. It also highlights how 5G is starting to introduce advanced enterprise-enabling features, including low latency, deterministic networking and advanced internet of things use cases, all of which are new in the mobile network domain.
The research adds that industry stakeholders have expressed high hopes for the upcoming wave of 5G services, which will likely enhance productivity and efficiency through mobility, among other improvements. However, it also recognises that 5G would not be possible without contributions to the 3rd Generation Partnership Project (3GPP), which produces global technical reports and specifications on how next-generation networks should be built and implemented.
The adoption of 5G was found to be outpacing all previous generations of cellular technology in terms of subscription rate and operator roll-out, gaining significant traction from enterprise verticals. ABI Research said organisations that have significantly invested in the research for 5G are projected to sustain that investment well into the future, highlighting the continued interest in the commercial relevancy of the technology.
“The time we live in is an exciting inflection point for 5G and the way telecommunications networks are built and consumed,” said Rajesh Pankaj, chief technology officer at InterDigital. “As 5G deploys across the world, it’s helping to solve fundamental challenges, and laying the foundation for experimentation, new ideas and innovation.
“At the same time, 3GPP and the 5G supply chain are continuously working to progress 5G even further,” he said. “The early years of 5G have been foundational to its long-term success. Now is the time when we will experience and benefit from exciting new applications, new use cases and many more ways consumer lifestyles can be transformed.”
Dimitris Mavrakis, senior research director at ABI Research, said: “5G is now giving us a glimpse of what will be possible in the future and setting the foundation for the next generation of networks. The high capacity, high reliability and low latency capabilities of 5G are now starting to create the next wave of consumer and enterprise applications, in the very same way 4G seeded the creation of social networks, the collaborative economy and rich content. We are now in a very exciting technical era that will pave the way for 6G and future networks.”
While the technology promises to support data-hungry and latency-sensitive applications such as AR and VR, the report shows that the appetite for such services has not yet fully emerged, with new concepts such as the Metaverse being a more distant future vision. Yet it also reveals how 5G can be seen as transformative in supporting the roll-out of digital spaces, smart cities and smart public services. To enable all of this, governments and local authorities must remove the barriers to ubiquitous 5G access.
In particular, ABI expects the private 5G addressable market to grow at an exponential rate, mostly driven by verticals including energy and utilities, healthcare, and manufacturing. Indeed, in a separate study, 5G private wireless in manufacturing, ABI said the manufacturing and industrial sector is slowly realising 5G private networks are essential for automation, robotics and augmented reality.
It said that network upgrades can underpin the efforts of manufacturers to automate quality assurance processes, deploy autonomous mobile robots inside the facility and upskill employees using augmented reality. Lower latency and support for time-sensitive networking afforded by a 5G network can further enable wireless process automation for robotics use cases and increase bandwidth support for data-heavy applications such as video analytics.
In all, the study calculated that in 2030, manufacturing and industrial firms worldwide will have more than 49 million 5G connections inside their facilities, generating $2.4bn in global connections revenue for suppliers.
However, the report warned that a lack of 5G industrial devices has stalled manufacturers’ interest in 5G private wireless. It added that in turn, the lack of enthusiasm has discouraged hardware suppliers from creating the necessary devices, and as a result of the state of flux, equipment suppliers such as Nokia have launched converged devices supporting Wi-Fi, LTE and 5G connectivity.
Nokia, Ericsson, Samsung win 5G deals from Jio, Airtel; Huawei, ZTE out of 5G race
Cash-strapped Vodafone Idea is still in talks with European vendors for 5G contracts, people familiar with the matter said. They added that the loss-making telco will initially place orders for circles where it has revenue market share of 15% and above, which are metro plus category circles.
by Danish Khan – ETTelecom
Bharti Airtel and Reliance Jio are believed to have finalised 5G equipment partners, awarding contracts to Finland’s Nokia, Sweden’s Ericsson and Korea’s Samsung, officially shutting out Chinese vendors Huawei and ZTE from the roll outs of the next gen technology.
Cash-strapped Vodafone Idea is still in talks with European vendors for 5G contracts, people familiar with the matter said. They added that the loss-making telco will initially place orders for circles where it has revenue market share of 15% and above, which are metro plus category circles.
Notably, European vendors are set to supply mobile telephony equipment to the Mukesh Ambani-led telco for the first time. Jio has so far worked with just Samsung for its 4G network. Samsung, on its part, will be supplying mobile telephony network gear to Airtel for the first time.
While Airtel is expected to place an order of 15,000-20,000 5G sites in the initial phase to cover bigger cities, Jio is expected to place a much bigger order to cover more cities than its rivals, the people said.
Both Airtel and Jio though are yet to place purchase orders (POs) for network equipment, which will be basis their final 5G spectrum winnings and subsequent allotments.
Emails to all parties did not elicit a response.
A senior executive at Bharti Airtel separately confirmed deals to Nokia, Ericsson and Samsung. “Airtel will give purchase orders to all vendors,” the executive said.
In order to ensure that Airtel is able to get the best 5G equipment costs, it has also finalised Korean vendor Samsung along with its long-standing partners Nokia and Ericsson.
One person added that both Huawei and ZTE will also be phased out from Airtel’s 4G network, to be replaced with the three vendors.
“Jio has managed to secure a rate from Ericsson, which is even lower compared to Airtel,” one of the people privy to the discussions said, adding that final contours are being discussed currently.
A third source said that backward integration with gear from European vendors is possible with Samsung’s 4G, hence Jio is opting for 5G equipment from the latter.
“Nokia and Ericsson’s 5G gear is better than those of Samsung in terms of performance quality,” he said, adding that European vendors are aggressive in terms of trading margins to get entry into Jio’s network.
Sources said that Jio may in fact place a significantly bigger purchase order with Swedish telecom gear maker Ericsson, compared with Nokia and Samsung.
Both telecom operators will initially focus on urban and dense population areas with their respective commercial 5G services. “Jio is expected to be more aggressive as it plans to cover the entire population in the next 3-4 years with its 5G,” the third person said, adding that the telco will deploy a lot more 5G sites this fiscal than Airtel.
A senior executive at a European vendor said that the company is ready to start work once the PO’s are signed. “They are just waiting for the auction to be done.”
India’s first 5G spectrum auction started on July 26 with four participants—Reliance Jio, Bharti Airtel, Vodafone Idea and Adani Data Networks (an Adani Group unit). A total of 72 GHz of 5G airwaves across 10 bands—600 MHz, 700 MHz, 800 MHz, 900 MHz, 1800 MHz, 2100 MHz, 2300 MHz, 2500 MHz, 3.3-3.67 GHz and 26 GHz—are up for grabs.
“Once the auction is over, the POs issued, it will take another 3-6 months for the equipment to be installed and the network to be set up,” said an industry executive.
BT and Ericsson join forces to build 5G private networks
May 31, 2022
– Reuters
LONDON, May 31 (Reuters) – Telecoms company BT (BT.L) and Ericsson (ERICb.ST) have struck a multi-million pound partnership to offer private 5G networks to businesses across Britain, enabling them to deploy Internet of Things and other technologies quickly and securely.
Private 5G networks mirror public 5G, but connectivity is limited to a group of devices in a dedicated space, such as a factory, a port or a campus, where 5G’s security and ultra-low latency can be fully utilised in additional services.
Marc Overton, managing director for BT’s Division X, Enterprise, said the British company was working with Sweden’s Ericsson, a leader in 5G technology, both in deploying and operating the networks, and also in putting applications on top.
The partners have already worked together on several major projects incorporating private 5G networks, including Belfast Harbour in Northern Ireland.
They have installed a 5G private network across 35 acres of operational port, driving operational efficiencies and optimising processes across transport, logistics, supply chain and shipping, he said.
“We’re now into phase two of the project and this includes various use cases such as teleoperation of heavy plant machinery, artificial reality (AR) for remote maintenance, as well as enhanced video AI analytics and the use of drones for surveillance and inspections,” Overton said.
Under the new deal, the partners will focus on deploying 5G technology in sectors including healthcare, manufacturing, transport and logistics, sites such as large shopping centres or stadiums, and ports.
Ericsson tops Frost Radar: Global 5G Network Infrastructure Market ranking
For second year in a row
Press Release
May 29, 2022
For the second consecutive year Ericsson has been ranked as the leader in the Frost Radar™: 5G Network Infrastructure Market 2021 report. This shows the company’s ability to scale its innovations and growth in the field consistently from 2G, 3G, to 4G and now 5G.
By ranking the highest in the latest Frost Radar™ report, Ericsson confirms its status as the leader in terms of both innovation and growth in the 5G network infrastructure market which, according to business consulting firm Frost & Sullivan, spans 5G radio access networks (RAN), transport networks, and core networks.
Fredrik Jejdling, Executive Vice President and Head of Business Area Networks, Ericsson, says: “The Frost Radar™ report recognises Ericsson’s investments in technology leadership for customers’ benefit. By focusing on constant innovation and 5G portfolio development, we aim to stay ahead of the curve and provide our customers with the solutions they need for building the future networks.”
The Frost Radar™ independently evaluates companies with a significant influence on the market in a particular industry. As highlighted in the Frost Radar™ methodology, the Innovation and Growth scores are used to rate a company’s focus on continuous innovation and ability to translate the innovations into consistent growth.
The report plots top industry participants, standing out among companies positioned as the overall market leaders, leaders in a market segment, or thought leaders in certain segments.
Commenting on Ericsson’s top result by the Growth Index, Troy Morley, Industry Principal, Frost & Sullivan’s Information & Communication Technology group, and the author of the report, says: “Ericsson has spent the last few years adjusting its overall strategy to focus on profitability. The company has indicated that its strategy has been successful, even with the challenges brought by the pandemic. As a leader in the 4G infrastructure market, Ericsson enters the 5G market with a large customer base. The company has done an excellent job keeping its current customers and adding new customers.”
On top of the *5G commercial agreements already announced, Ericsson still maintains a significant pipeline of customers who are expected to move to 5G over the coming years.
Regarding Ericsson’s top positioning based on the Innovation Index, the report highlights the company’s ability to consistently scale its innovations on the global level across generations of mobile technologies – from 2G to 5G. The **108 live 5G networks powered by Ericsson’s products and solutions in 48 countries, which is the highest level that Frost & Sullivan has seen publicly reported, come as credible proof to the Frost Radar™ assessment.
“Ericsson invests significant amounts in R&D, which is essential in a market where technology is always evolving,” says Morley. “Having CSP market as the primary focus, Ericsson’s 5G portfolio includes all areas of 5G network infrastructure, previous generations of network infrastructure, as well as private networks.”
Ericsson’s 5G network infrastructure portfolio comprises 5G RAN, dual-mode 5G Core, and 5G Transport that address all aspects of 5G deployment – from providing low latency and higher bandwidth, ensuring instant response times for users and the future readiness of the network for CSPs. Ericsson’s 5G network offering also includes Ericsson Radio System, 5G Carrier Aggregation, Ericsson Spectrum Sharing, network slicing, service automation and 5G monetisation. CSPs are empowered with 5G solutions that enable the modular approach when switching to the cloud-native 5G network or expanding their network for new business opportunities.
In related news announced in March, Ericsson was also named a leader in the 2022 Gartner® Magic Quadrant™ for 5G Network Infrastructure for Communications Service Providers report.
Download the full report: Frost Radar™: Global 5G Network Infrastructure Market, 2021
*These figures were reported at the time of the Radar’s production and publication, the latest figures are available by visiting Ericsson’s 5G contracts page
…
Ericsson signs with T-Mobile to offer private 5G to US enterprise customers
-James Blackman May 26, 2022
Weird, and frustrating; Swedish vendor Ericsson has issued a press release, the day after Nordic rival Nokia, about a new working relationship with T-Mobile in the US on private 5G. It is the same press release, just with a different vendor attached, just as it was when Nokia followed Ericsson in late 2020 (18 months ago, already) to tie-up with AT&T on private cellular for US enterprises. So, predictable, as well; we would have preferred a single statement from the carrier.
The new arrangement will see, exactly the same, “enterprise and government customers” in the US offered a pathway to Ericsson-made private cellular RAN and core solutions with T-Mobile. Ericsson’s kit will be incorporated into T-Mobile’s 5G Advanced Network Solutions, now also acronymized as 5G ANS, just like Nokia’s.
A statement said: “The suite is aimed at increasing revenues, lowering costs,and delivering new customer experiences through tailored 5G.” The pair cited a handful or prime use cases (two; one?) for these customers: namely, “augmented and virtual reality (AR and VR) experiences for training or field service”.
Mishka Dehghan, senior vice president of strategy, product, and solutions engineering at T-Mobile Business, said: “With T-Mobile’s leading 5G network, America’s largest and fastest, and excellent RAN and Core equipment from partners like Ericsson, we’re showing — not telling — that 5G MEC is real and helping customers to improve their business today.”
Åsa Tamsons, senior vice president and head of business area technologies and new businesses at Ericsson, said: “The T-Mobile and Ericsson partnership is making it possible to deliver clear results for enterprises that want to take their business wireless.”
Last week, Ericsson announced a corporate rejig with a new division for ‘enterprise wireless solutions’, officially merging its private (‘dedicated’) local-area network (LAN) division and its Cradlepoint business. US-based Cradlepoint, acquired for $1.1 billion in late 2020, has traditionally focused on LTE and 5G wide-area networking (WAN) for the emergency services sector.
Vodafone Idea, Ericsson achieve 5.92Gbps peak download speed using mmWave spectrum
ETTelecom May 13, 2022
Vi achieved this speed on a single-test device using a combination of mid-band and high-band (millimeter-wave or mmWave) 5G trial spectrum using Ericsson equipment such as Massive MIMO radios Ericsson cloud-native dual-mode 5G core for standalone (SA) architecture and NR-DC (New Radio-Dual Connectivity) software, according to an official statement on Friday.
NEW DELHI: Vodafone Idea has achieved a peak download speed of 5.92Gbps in partnership with Swedish telecom gear maker Ericsson during the ongoing 5G trials in Pune, Maharashtra.
Vi achieved this speed on a single-test device using a combination of mid-band and high-band (millimeter-wave or mmWave) 5G trial spectrum using Ericsson equipment such as Massive MIMO radios Ericsson cloud-native dual-mode 5G core for standalone (SA) architecture and NR-DC (New Radio-Dual Connectivity) software, according to an official statement on Friday.
With 5G Standalone NR-DC software, Vi can deliver latency-sensitive and high-performing applications such as AR/ VR and 8K video streaming as well as innovative new use cases for consumers and enterprises once it deploys 5G on its commercial network, it added.
Earlier during its 5G trials and use cases showcase in Pune, Vi had demonstrated speeds of over 4Gbps.
“Given the growing consumer demand for immersive media and video streaming services, the 5G speeds that we have demonstrated will help us prepare for the mobile broadband speeds and greater network capacity requirements of customers, as we ready for ‘5G for a Better Tomorrow’ in India,” said Jagbir Singh, Chief Technology Officer, Vodafone Idea.
Thursday, Nokia said it will deploy its Access DWDM (Dense wavelength division multiplexing) solution to upgrade Vodafone Idea’s transport network to 5G.
“Achieving this technology milestone of 5.92 Gbps download speed by leveraging Ericsson’s 5G Standalone NR-DC software and cloud-native dual-mode 5G Core represents a milestone in India’s evolution to 5G Standalone with mmWave,” said Amarjeet Singh, Vice President and Head of Customer Unit Vi at Ericsson.
5G is expected to account for 39% of all mobile subscriptions in India by 2027 according to Ericsson Mobility Report, November 2021 edition.
5G is on track to become the dominant mobile access technology by subscriptions globally by 2027. By this time, 5G is expected to account for around 50 percent of all mobile subscriptions worldwide – covering 75% of the world’s population and carrying 62% of the global smartphone traffic, as per the report.
Indosat Ooredoo Hutchinson announce 5G partnerships with Nokia and Ericsson
By Aaron Raj, 7 March, 2022
Indonesian service provider Indosat Ooredoo Hutchinson announced partnership collaborations with Nokia and Ericsson to boost their 5G network deployments at Mobile World Congress 2022.
Indosat Ooredoo Hutchinson has already partnered with Huawei to launch its 5G commercial services in Makassar, Indonesia last year. Indonesia already has 5G commercial deployments in Solo, Jakarta, and Surabaya.
5G in Asia
At MWC, Indosat Ooredoo Hutchison and Huawei have also signed a strategic project partnership for the acceleration of the radio access network (RAN) integration.
Meanwhile, Nokia has been selected as the principal vendor to deploy and expand its 4G and 5G network across Indonesia in a three-year deal. Nokia will provide solutions from its latest AirScale portfolio that will cover an area of 1.4 million square kilometers including Sumatra island, Kalimantan island, Central Java, and Surabaya city.
This includes base stations and 5G Single RAN for both premium indoor and outdoor coverage. Nokia’s consolidation services are expected to ensure a smooth integration by merging spectrum owned by IOH into a single network, ensuring minimum impact to end-users.
With Nokia’s technology, Indosat Ooredoo Hutchison will be able to quickly and easily upgrade to 5G services remotely with a software update or with a plug-in card. Nokia’s energy-efficient AirScale solution will also allow IOH to keep the cost to a minimum while improving the quality of its services.
With rollout expected this month, Vikram Sinha, President Director and CEO of Indosat Ooredoo Hutchison said Nokia’s 5G-ready and industry-leading solution will help them maximize the asset utilization even as they future-proof investments and enhance network performance.
For Tommi Uitto, president of Mobile Networks at Nokia, Nokia’s 5G-ready AirScale portfolio will help Indosat Ooredoo Hutchison to launch next-generation services while helping it to bring down its operational expense.
From Nokia to Ericsson
Meanwhile, after enabling Indosat Ooredoo Hutchison to deploy 5G in Jakarta last year, Ericsson has strengthened their partnership to further expand its 5G footprint in Indonesia. Ericsson will support Indosat Ooredoo Hutchison’s vision to become the most preferred digital telco in Indonesia by expanding 5G service coverage to several cities including Jakarta, Bogor, Tangerang, and Bekasi.
The new rollouts are an expansion of the 5G services introduced in Jakarta in August 2021. The expanded 5G footprint in Indonesia by Indosat Ooredoo Hutchison and Ericsson will serve to support the government’s digital transformation agenda for Indonesia.
In this 5G rollout extension, Ericsson is powering the network through Radio 6626, a unique three-sector dual-band radio that will help IOH 5G network to increase its Frequency Division Duplex (FDD) 5G frequency capacity.
Radio 6626 provides multi-standard and multi-band coverage while lowering costs and reducing footprint – up to 50 percent lower energy consumption. Through this collaboration, IOH and Ericsson are working together to provide a totally sustainable network within Indonesia by reducing the energy consumption of mobile services without impacting performance.
“Ericsson is delighted to further strengthen its partnership with Indosat Ooredoo by providing 5G services in Jakarta, Bogor, Tangerang, and Bekasi. 5G will play a critical role in accelerating the digitalization of the economy and stimulating next-generation innovation for consumers and enterprises in Indonesia. We are confident that with our technology leadership and strong deployment capabilities across the globe, we will enable IOH to capture the full value of 5G connectivity through our energy-efficient products and solutions,” said Jerry Soper, Head of Ericsson Indonesia.
Indonesia is home to one of the world’s largest mobile ownership populations. Network connectivity is essential with 5G deployment expected to be a boost for both consumers and enterprises in the country. The partnership with Nokia and Ericsson will help realize the government’s digital transformation agenda.
5 myths about 5G Transport
Don´t let these misconceptions stop you from building a superior transport network.
Several myths exist about 5G transport and its technologies. Don´t let these misconceptions stop you from building a superior transport network for 5G services everywhere. We bust the myths for you.
Myth 1: Every 5G radio site must have a GPS
Busted!
The specific requirements for RAN timing and sync are dependent on the radio technology deployed and the spectrum used. There’s also a need for increased reliability in the timing source. While today’s FDD-based LTE network can continue to operate for hours after sync loss with no degradation, in the future, loss of timing will have an immediate impact on RAN performance.
Although the mobile transport network itself does not need synchronization, it can provide timing and synchronization to the RAN. Router 6000 can work as boundary and/or grandmaster clock to distribute timing to other elements in the network. The result is exceptional 5G sync and lowered TCO. By managing upstream and downstream routers, basebands at hubs and other sites, the Router 6000 eliminates the need for a GPS at every radio site.
Myth 2: Radio over Ethernet is most efficient for transporting CPRI over packet networks
Busted!
With 5G we see more operators exploring the possibility to centralize their networks and build packet-based fronthaul systems. But by doing this, there is also a need to handle the legacy CPRI flows to enable a packet-only network. Two options are available; Mapping the CPRI frames into ethernet packets, called Radio over Ethernet (RoE) or Convert the CPRI streams into eCPRI by RAN Compute processing.
The two alternatives have their set of benefits, where conversion being the most effective technology in terms of bandwidth savings – 60-80% savings can be achieved depending on RAN configuration and by that, reducing the fiber needs as well as transport equipment. Ericsson Router 6673 supports RoE and Conversion in the same platform, offering full support across all current and future Ericsson radios CPRI and eCPRI variations. It also works as a cell site router and aggregates enterprise traffic.
Myth 3: Existing LTE backhaul is sufficient for 5G
Depends.
One of the major benefits of 5G is the improved user capacity it brings. Beside the optimization of the radio protocol stack, this improvement is enabled by the availability of multiple new frequency bands. When adding mid- and high-band spectrums, the backhaul network also needs to be upgraded to meet widely varying, but strict, requirements for performance, capacity, latency, synchronization, and security. It must also support the various needs of parallel network architectures and technologies, and seamlessly support the coordination between many more cell sites.
Myth 4: Microwave is not a viable transport media for 5G
Busted!
The steady evolution of backhaul over the last 40 years has been a response and adaptation to the requirements from new services enabled by new generation of mobile technology. The key to increased capacity is accessing new frequency bands, wider channel bandwidths, higher modulation schemes and other spectrum efficient solutions.
Microwave technology is being used for both 5G backhaul and fronthaul, and is continuously evolving. 100 Gbps speed is already verified.
Myth 5: All types of optical pluggables can be used in mobile networks
Busted!
In mobile networks, the optical pluggables need specific features: they have to be highly cost-effective, tolerate outdoor deployments of high and low temperatures, have a long lifetime to avoid costly downtime and network replacements, and meet the requirements for power consumption.
Ericsson has initiated a joint effort with Nokia and three leading optical pluggables vendors, II-VI, Lumentum and Sumitomo Electric, to agree on the most important high-level requirements and optical solutions for 5G. This intends to get a common and shared view in the industry to secure that the right optical pluggables are available at the right time and the right cost for the 5G buildouts.
Ericsson and Nokia 5G News