Ericsson report highlights potential economic benefits of 5G in emerging markets

Comprehensive Analysys Mason study spans 15 countries in Asia, Africa and Latin America
Potential GDP economic benefits vastly outweigh investment costs
Governments, regulators and policy makers play a key enabling role
Countries also set to benefit from environmental and social inclusion capabilities

A major new Ericsson (NASDAQ: ERIC) commissioned study by management consulting firm Analysys Mason highlights the potential economic, consumer and environmental benefits of 5G connectivity in 15 national emerging markets. With regulatory and government support, all fifteen countries could benefit from GDP growth between 0.3 and 0.46 percent through 2035, with an estimated three-to-seven-fold cost-to-benefit ratio.

Called the Future Value of Mobile in Emerging Markets, the report examines the impact of multiple 5G spectrum deployment options to facilitate enhanced mobile broadband and fixed wireless access (FWA) across consumer, industry, logistics, rural and public services clusters, and spanning several business case options, including verticals.

The detailed methodology included using national government statistics and reports, Ericsson network insights and innovative mapping techniques – based on population density distribution and existing national infrastructure such as, road and rail networks, and agriculture – to create a cost-to-benefit model across the different deployment options.

Deployment options are based on the starting assumption of having 5G baseline rollout added to existing mobile radio network sites. Additional options explore the extra benefits of adding Low-Band 5G spectrum coverage beyond the baseline (delivering wider geographical coverage at the lower end of 5G capabilities and suited to agriculture or logistics deployments) or Mid-Band 5G spectrum coverage – delivering smaller geographical coverage per site, but with higher capacity and speed, suitable for manufacturing, automation, industry and advanced services.

Expanded Mid-Band 5G coverage is identified as the key success factor – with the potential to deliver about 80 percent of the economic benefits. Benefits from the Smart Industry and Smart Rural clusters account for 85-90 percent of the total economic benefits in each emerging market.

Agriculture is a significant sector in all 15 countries – accounting for up to 10 percent of GDP in some markets. The report estimates that enhanced rural 5G coverage could deliver up to 1.8 percent uplift in long-term GDP from agriculture. 5G will also promote sustainable farming methods, increase efficiency and reduce agricultural waste.

Study findings include:

Baseline 5G deployment cost is estimated between USD 3-8 billion per country. An additional 20-35 percent investment is required to extend coverage
Extending coverage beyond the baseline can generate significant GDP benefits from industrial adoption, especially from mid-band coverage extension
Most countries are expected to generate overall economic benefits (GDP) three-to-seven times higher than the incremental cost of extending coverage
Results suggest 5G mobile broadband can generate consumer surplus between USD 1-10 billion per country, with coverage extension giving 20-30 percent extra consumer surplus
The social benefits enabled by 5G will be greatest from 5G-based FWA, smart factories, freight and logistics, agriculture and healthcare use cases
Adopting 5G can help reduce emissions by supporting digital transformation in agriculture, freight and logistics, smart factories and construction

The study highlights how governments, regulators and policy makers can support the 5G ecosystem to deliver the benefits.

These include treating 5G as a national infrastructure with a 5G national strategy and roadmap; implementing 5G spectrum policies that facilitate speedier and widespread deployment, including trading off spectrum fees for deployment targets that meet connectivity policy objectives; implementing policies and procedures to make infrastructure deployment and site upgrades easier; working with communications services providers to enhance coverage in areas where commercially-led solutions are not viable; incentivizing the use and prominence of 5G in industry and manufacturing; promoting 5G in the public sector and promoting the environmental benefits of 5G solutions.

Andrew Lloyd, Head of Government and Policy Advocacy, Ericsson, says: ”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.”

Janette Stewart, Partner, Analysys Mason, says: ”The study highlights the benefits from having the right spectrum available for 5G deployment, both for geographic coverage, for which the low-bands are very suitable, and in the 3.5GHz band where most of the high-capacity 5G deployments in other markets are already taking place.”

The countries addressed in the report research are Bangladesh, Brazil, Chile, Colombia, Egypt, India, Indonesia, Malaysia, Mexico, Morocco, Nigeria, Pakistan, South Africa, Thailand and Turkey.

Ericsson’s largest consumer study shows 5G is already paving the path to the metaverse

Ericsson ConsumerLab’s 5G: The Next Wave report is the largest consumer 5G research to date.
Compared to 4G users – 5G users spend an average of one hour per-week more on metaverse-related services, such as gaming in virtual worlds, and augmented reality (AR).
Half of 5G consumers who already use extended-reality (XR) related services believe AR apps will move from smartphones to XR headsets within two years

As 5G uptake in many parts of the world bridges the milestone from early adopters to mass adoption, major new Ericsson (NASDAQ: ERIC) research – the industry’s largest global study of its kind to date – underlines consumers’ growing commitment to 5G and their expectations on next-generation uses cases.

Called 5G: The Next Wave, the Ericsson ConsumerLab report addresses the impact 5G has had on early adopter consumers since launching in various countries, as well as gauging the intention of non-5G subscribers to take up the technology – and their related expectations. The report forecasts that at least 30 percent of smartphone users intend to take up a 5G subscription within the next year.

The mix of Ericsson tracking data covering 5G launches since 2019, and the new consumer survey, has enabled Ericsson ConsumerLab to identify six key trends impacting the next wave of 5G adoption.

The report covers the behavioral changes triggered by the bundling of digital services into 5G plans by communications service providers – particularly the increased use of enhanced video and augmented reality (AR) apps.

The report also addresses the speed of mainstream 5G adoption, whether consumer demands are being met, and 5G-related changes in smartphone behavior – and their impact on network traffic.

More than 49,000 consumers in 37 countries were interviewed in the research – the largest global 5G-related consumer survey in the industry to date and the largest consumer survey conducted by Ericsson on any topic. The survey scope is representative of the opinions of about 1.7 billion consumers worldwide, including 430 million 5G subscribers.

Jasmeet Singh Sethi, Head of Ericsson ConsumerLab, says: ”The scale of the research gives us an authentic insight into consumers’ views and attitudes to 5G. The report shows that the next wave of potential 5G users have different expectations from the technology compared to early adopters. Overall, consumers see engaging with 5G as an essential part of their future lifestyles.”

He adds: “It is interesting to note that 5G is emerging as an important enabler for early adopters to embrace metaverse-related services, such as socializing, playing and buying digital items in interactive 3D virtual gaming platforms. The amount of time spent on augmented reality apps by 5G users has also doubled over the past two years, compared to 4G users.”

The report forecasts that 5G consumers with experience of using extended reality (XR) functionality are likely to be the first to embrace future devices as they are more positive about the potential of mixed-reality glasses. Half of 5G users who already use XR-related services weekly think that AR apps will move from smartphones to XR headsets within the next two years, compared to one-third of 4G consumer who hold this view.

5G – the Next Wave Report: Six key trends

5G adoption to be inflation resilient: At least 510 million consumers across 37 markets are likely to take up 5G in 2023.
The demanding next wave of users: The next wave of 5G users have high expectations on 5G performance, especially network coverage, compared to early adopters — who care about new innovative services enabled by 5G.
Perceived 5G availability is emerging as the new satisfaction benchmark among consumers. Geographical coverage, indoor/outdoor coverage, and congregation hot-spot coverage are more important to building a user perception than population coverage.
5G is pushing up usage of enhanced video and augmented reality. Over the past two years, time spent on AR apps by 5G users has doubled to two hours per week.
5G monetization models are expected to evolve: Six in 10 consumers expect 5G offerings to move beyond more data volume and speeds to on-demand tailored network capabilities for specific needs.
5G adoption is setting the path to the metaverse. 5G users on average are already spending one hour more per-week in metaverse-related services than 4G users. They also expect two hours of more video content will be consumed weekly on mobile devices, 1.5 hours of which will be on AR/VR glasses by 2025.

Ericsson raises sustainability bar anew with triple-band, tri-sector 5G radio

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 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.

Learn more about Ericsson Remote Radios for sustainable networks

Ericsson launches Global Utilities Innovation Center

New platform to accelerate 4G and 5G solutions for utilities

Ericsson (NASDAQ: ERIC) today announced the opening of its Global Utilities Innovation Center at its facility in Plano, Texas. The new fully functional facility consists of a purpose-built operating lab and demo environment locations that will allow utilities to engage with Ericsson and its partners to solve real-world connectivity challenges.

“Private cellular networks are principal catalysts for utilities in their digital transformation journey to address multiple use cases, and utilities can now leverage our Global Utilities Innovation Center to experiment with different 4G and 5G use cases and co-create with our ecosystem partners,” says Koustuv Ghoshal, Vice President and Head of Utilities, Energy & Industrials at Ericsson North America. “We look forward to partnering with utilities around the world on their grid modernization journey.”

The Global Utilities Innovation Center is integrated with Ericsson’s state-of-the art device testing lab a short distance from the Plano site, where utilities and Original Equipment Manufacturers (OEM) partners can test interoperability of their field and IoT devices over mission-critical networks in a safe and secure environment. As a fully functional end-to-end operational lab, the center contains a physical representation of a utility smart grid, enabling real-world demonstrations of end-to-end private networks operations across the power grid from generation and transmission to distribution to end users.

“Utilities require mission-critical networks that have to be secure, reliable, and increasingly sustainable,” says Per Wahlen, Head of Business Development at Ericsson North America. “This center is a state-of-the art facility where we can work closely with utility companies, exploring new 4G and 5G use cases and delivering end-to-end solutions. At each point, you can see the benefits of the latest generations of cellular wireless networks in enhancing security, resilience, and efficiency of the power infrastructure.”

Ericsson’s Global Utilities Innovation Center creates an interactive, engaging experience to showcase Ericsson and partner solutions for utilities. The Innovation Center environment is a learning platform for exchanging information and ideas between the utilities, Ericsson, and the entire industry.
The environment also allows for co-creation with Ericsson partners while utilities replicate their end-to-end use cases. The Global Utilities Innovation Center includes the Ericsson Experience Center in Plano, Texas, and Ericsson Labs in Richardson, Texas.

AI-powered Ericsson Performance Optimizers – top network performance and automation, rolled into one

• The new solution leverages automation, scalability, speed, accuracy, and consistency in network optimization to enable a superior subscriber experience, while reducing operating costs.

• Ericsson and Ooredoo Qatar trialed the software solution at a major football tournament and noted improved uplink capacity along with gains on speed and traffic volume.

• A part of Ericsson’s Cognitive Software portfolio, the solution uses digital twin technology and advanced AI techniques like deep reinforcement learning.

Ericsson (NASDAQ: ERIC) Performance Optimizers is a suite of AI-powered applications, that analyze the CSPs’ Radio Access Network (RAN) to proactively provide mobile network optimization recommendations and resolve specific network performance issues.

Ericsson Performance Optimizers can be deployed to enable a helicopter view of the network as a whole. The solution accounts for the invisible changes in the network caused by each addition to the environment, such as new applications, city growth, new sites or user behavior. It is equipped with digital twin technology and advanced AI techniques like deep reinforcement learning.

Digital twin technology accurately mimics the network behavior upon parameter changes, ensuring an approach that minimizes risk and elevates the optimizer’s quality to telco grade from day one. Reinforcement learning is a machine-learning (ML) technique that learns from the network, where an agent (Performance Optimizer) interacts with the environment and takes actions towards a long-term goal.

Additionally, the solution can also be used to accurately predict network performance improvements and proactively provide one-shot optimization recommendations for targeted cells.
Ericsson plans to periodically add new features to the existing solution to address the challenges brought on by different network issues, thereby increasing the coverage of automated optimization.

With 5G, CSPs are looking to transform essential parts of their operations to achieve optimal performance and return on investment. Vendor agnostic AI-native solutions such as Ericsson Performance Optimizers are key to automate and cope with growing complexity while keeping control of cost.

In November 2021, Ericsson trialed the solution with Ooredoo Qatar for a major football tournament. As part of the partnership Ericsson provided network optimization and event management and 5G connectivity in three stadiums, airports and places of attraction. Massive efficiency gains were noted – where traditional worst cell analysis takes days to complete, the new automated approach with performance optimizers took only 15 minutes, producing hundreds of recommendations.

Juan Manuel Melero, Head of Network Design & Optimization, Ericsson, says: During the trial with Ooredoo Qatar, we noted that 89% of internal uplink interference cases were automatically resolved by the Performance Optimizers. This resulted in 7% improvement in uplink capacity, along with significant gains in speed and traffic volume. We now look forward to leveraging our expertise and experience to support our customers around the world to achieve top network performance and deliver the best user experience.

Günther Ottendorfer, Chief Technology and Infrastructure Officer at Ooredoo Qatar, says: For Ooredoo, customer experience and automation are top priority. We see AI-powered operations as key to deliver on our promise of world-class services to our subscribers. During the major football event held in Qatar in December 2021, Ericsson’s Cognitive Software provided a near real-time automation of optimization actions. The end-result was a superior user experience. before, during and after the matches.

Ericsson Performance Optimizers suite is part of the Cognitive Software pack in Ericsson Operations Engine. It can be implemented through licensing, software as a service (SaaS) or as part of our services packs.

Ericsson Time-Critical Communication recognized by GTI as “Innovative Breakthrough in Mobile Technology”

Ericsson Time-Critical Communication was recognized at the recently concluded MWC 2022 event in Barcelona. The company is a recipient of the GTI Award 2022 for “Innovative Breakthrough in Mobile Technology” as well as the Outstanding Award for significant contribution to the industry.

Launched in October 2021, Time-Critical Communication is an end-to-end software toolbox for 5G networks that delivers the consistent low latency and high reliability demanded by time-critical applications and services for consumers, enterprises, and public sector. For instance, it strives to enable lag-free games, immersive AR and VR sport events experience, seamless remote control in factories, and increased road safety.

The toolbox combines 3GPP-specified ultra-reliable, low latency communication (URLLC) standard with Ericsson innovations to mitigate major causes of latency, unlocking a wide range of latency-sensitive use cases in real-time media, remote control, mobility automation, and industrial control.

Marie Hogan, Head of Mobile Broadband Voice and New Business at Ericsson Networks, says: “It is heartening to see our effort to enable the benefits of 5G acknowledged by the industry. We will continue to work closely with our ecosystem partners to bring more time-critical use cases to life.”

Ericsson has been piloting 5G for time-critical use cases since 2017 with customers and industry partners in extensive proof of concept (PoC) demos and trials ranging from jet engine production, factory automation safety to driverless minibuses.

Ericsson, together with a European communications service provider and other ecosystem partners, also recently showed at MWC 2022 the potential benefits of Time-Critical Communication for AR streaming applications with enhanced quality of experience.

About GTI Awards

The GTI Awards program aims to acknowledge achievements and success of industry players in 4G evolution and 5G development across a wide range of market segments.

Ericsson embraces 5G edge opportunity with new Local Packet Gateway

Ericsson launches the Ericsson Local Packet Gateway, enabling CSPs to unlock innovative edge opportunities in both hybrid private networks segments and on the network edge, to support high-data bandwidth and low-latency use cases. The Ericsson Local Packet Gateway is an all-in-one appliance – including hardware, Container-as-a-Service (CaaS), software and lifecycle management – that makes edge applications easy to deploy and manage.

The optimized cloud-native user plane and service functions will enable new 5G edge use cases. It has a very compact deployment in a one-server low footprint, with integrated lifecycle management enabling fast time-to-service for new edge use cases.

The Ericsson Local Packet Gateway brings dual-mode 5G Core user plane and network slicing to the edge, enabling both mobile broadband and enterprise use cases, from small user plane deployment in a CSP core network, to routing to local applications. Examples of CSP enterprise use cases include sport events applications, virtual reality (VR) gaming and augmented reality (AR) for inspecting factory quality.

Laurent Leboucher, Orange group CTO & Senior Vice President Orange Innovation Networks says: “At Orange, we continue developing meaningful networks to adapt to the needs and uses all over the world. According to enterprise customers’ needs, a first option is to create a virtual private network on Orange’s public network. A second solution is to create a hybrid private network relying on shared equipment in the Orange network and dedicated equipment at the customer’s site for critical flows and data. Ericsson’s 5G Core for standalone, including the Local Packet Gateway help us meet both these enterprise customers’ needs.”

Monica Zethzon, Head of Solution Area Packet Core, Ericsson, says: “With the launch of the Ericsson Local Packet Gateway we have taken yet another step in supporting our CSP customers to address the enterprise market, by providing a powerful, slimmed-down user plane that’s easy to deploy at the edge, using an integrated lifecycle management making it easy to scale.”

Caroline Chappell, Research Director, AnalysysMason, says: “CSPs want flexibility in deploying 5G private networks and delivering network slices and will therefore need a user plane solution that is fast and easy to install and manage on customer premises. Ericsson Local Packet Gateway, with its pre-integrated, appliance-based solution including in-built lifecycle management and a form factor optimized for the enterprise edge, will be familiar from a management perspective and help with time-to-service for new enterprise use cases.”

Ericsson publishes 2021 Sustainability and Corporate Responsibility Report

Ericsson delivered on its sustainability targets and made a series of new commitments in 2021. The company put a particular focus on energy performance and strengthening its ambition to reach Net Zero across its value chain by 2040.

In 2021 Ericsson introduced a new vision to improve lives, redefine business and pioneer a sustainable future. Building on decades as a sustainability pioneer, the company has made a strong commitment to fulfilling this vision through its own efforts and through working across and beyond the ICT ecosystem.

This focus is reflected in Ericsson’s latest Sustainability and Corporate Responsibility Report, which highlights its 2021 performance across the areas of responsible business, environmental sustainability and digital inclusion.

“Our sustainability-driven solutions and partnerships create real impact for our customers and our stakeholders,” says Heather Johnson, Ericsson’s Head of Sustainability and Corporate Responsibility. “But they also create value for society, whether by enabling the reduction of emissions across industries, creating more energy-efficient networks or helping to bridge the digital divide. We made significant progress towards our sustainability goals in 2021, and we are now setting even more ambitious targets for the future.”

Performance and highlights

Net Zero: In 2021 Ericsson set a long-term ambition to be Net Zero by 2040 across its value chain. To meet this ambition, Ericsson will work towards 1.5°C aligned climate targets set by the Paris Agreement.

The first major milestone is to achieve Net Zero emissions from the company’s own activities by 2030 – as well as reducing emissions by 50 percent in its portfolio and supply chain also by 2030.

Energy performance: To meet customer expectations and help the telecom industry reach Net Zero, Ericsson has developed innovative solutions that enable operator networks to use as little energy as possible while managing expected growth in data traffic, meeting the needs of both current and future 5G networks.

In 2021, Ericsson achieved 36% energy savings from delivered Ericsson Radio System radios versus the legacy portfolio, surpassing the company’s approved Science Based Target of 35 percent one year ahead of schedule.

During 2021, Ericsson also launched a series of ultra-light Massive MIMO radios that are 10 percent more energy efficient than the previous generation.

Digital inclusion: The digital divide continues to be a key challenge to global economic development with roughly 2.9 billion people still offline. With innovative technologies and services, Ericsson and its partners and customers are pioneering new ways to connect societies and improve lives. In 2021 Ericsson continued its partnership with UNICEF in support of the Giga initiative, helping to map schools and assessing their connectivity in 35 countries by the end of 2023.

Ericsson also made a commitment to positively impact one million children and youth by 2025 by providing access to digital learning and skill development programs as part of the World Economic Forum-aligned EDISON Alliance 1 Billion Lives Challenge.

Corporate responsibility: Ericsson continued its focus on health, safety and well-being in 2021, including a robust COVID-19 response that included a focus on employee mental health and access to vaccines in places where they were not easily accessible. In 2021 there was an increase in work-related fatalities compared to 2020, in contrast to the decreasing trend of recent years. The company has declared this unacceptable and is more committed than ever to Target Zero – a goal of zero fatalities and lost workday incidents.

Ericsson launched its revised Code of Business Ethics, which defines both the company’s ethical principles and its expectations of responsibility across the value chain. The company also added integrity as one of its four core values as well as publishing a report on the human rights impact of 5G.

Ericsson’s Sustainability and Corporate Responsibility Report is part of the Company’s Annual Report and externally assured by an independent third party. It is also produced in accordance with

GRI Sustainability Reporting Standards and the UN Guiding Principles on Business and Human Rights Reporting Framework.

Get highlights from the 2021 Sustainability and Corporate Responsibility Report here.

Ericsson named a Leader in the 2022 Gartner® Magic Quadrant™ for 5G Network Infrastructure for Communications Service Providers report

Ericsson’s commercial 5G leadership and technology evolution is independently known industry-wide
Ericsson positioned as a Leader for the second year in a row

Ericsson (NASDAQ: ERIC) has been named a Leader in the 2022 Magic Quadrant for 5G Network Infrastructure for Communications Service Providers report by Gartner.

Published on February 23, Ericsson is recognized in the Leaders quadrant and is positioned highest for its Ability to Execute. Ericsson was also named a Leader in the corresponding 2021 report – the first time Gartner conducted a 5G Network Infrastructure for Communications Service Providers report.

Vendors offering 5G solutions for communications service providers were comprehensively and independently assessed and evaluated by Gartner experts on their Completeness of Vision and Ability to Execute, to provide a market snapshot on 5G infrastructure abilities.

Ericsson understands that end-to-end 5G network infrastructure vendors were evaluated on how they enable IT provider performance to be competitive, efficient and effective and to positively impact revenue, retention and reputation within the Gartner view of the market. The assessment of Ability to Execute included Ericsson’s products and services, operations, Sales execution and pricing, Market Responsiveness and Track Record, Marketing Execution, Customer Experience, and Overall Viability.

Fredrik Jejdling, Executive Vice President and Head of Networks, Ericsson, says: “It is pleasing to see that Ericsson’s 5G vision – from thought leadership through to collaborating effectively with the industry – as well as our second-to-none ability to execute in 5G has, once again been recognized as a Leader by Gartner.

“We consider our positioning in the 2022 Magic Quadrant for 5G Network Infrastructure for Communications Service Providers by Gartner as confirmation of our commitment to always keep the needs of our customers top of mind.”

Ericsson, as an industry leader in 5G networks, currently has 170 commercial 5G agreements with unique communications service providers (CSPs) and powers 114 live 5G networks across the globe.

Ericsson continuously evolves its end-to-end 5G offerings, which include 5G RAN with the energy-efficient Ericsson Radio System, Cloud RAN, Ericsson Silicon, 5G Core, Orchestration, BSS and 5G Transport as well as professional services. The company has introduced innovative software solutions such as Ericsson Spectrum Sharing, 5G Carrier Aggregation and Uplink Booster, which significantly improve coverage, user throughput and spectral efficiency.

Ericsson has designed the solutions mentioned in the report to support communications service providers (CSPs) in deploying and evolving 5G to ensure the best user experience. In addition, Ericsson Radio System products delivered since 2015 can support 5G New Radio (NR) capability through remote software installation.

Ericsson Digital Services offers a cloud-native dual-mode 5G Core solution for smarter networks to drive smarter business, allowing communications service providers to offer a multitude of new business opportunities for mobile users and industries.

Ericsson’s 5G Core solution combines Evolved Packet Core and 5G Core network functions into a common cloud-native platform that supports 5G NR Standalone and Non-standalone, as well as previous generations for efficient total cost of ownership and smooth migration to 5G.

Download the full report: the 2022 Gartner Magic Quadrant for 5G Network Infrastructure for Communications Service Providers

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Gartner does not endorse any vendor, product or service depicted in our research publications, and does not advise technology users to select only those vendors with the highest ratings or other designation. Gartner research publications consist of the opinions of Gartner’s research organization and should not be construed as statements of fact. Gartner disclaims all warranties, expressed or implied, with respect to this research, including any warranties of merchantability or fitness for a particular purpose.

Attribution: Gartner, Magic Quadrant for 5G Network Infrastructure for Communications Service Providers, 23 February 2022; Analyst(s) Kosei Takiishi, Sylvain Fabre, Frank Marsala, Peter Liu, Susan Welsh de Grimaldo, Pulkit Pandey.

Ericsson to extend network exposure to the edge

Ericsson launches Edge Exposure Server to enable new enterprise and consumer services through simple and enriched APIs for edge applications.

5G and edge computing are opening a world of new revenue opportunities across manufacturing, transport, gaming and mission-critical services. Combined they enable new services requiring low latency, high bandwidth and capabilities such as device processing and data offload. Edge computing consists of five technology areas including edge infrastructure, -user plane, -routing, -orchestration and exposure.

Exposure makes network capabilities, such as location and quality of service, and data easily available for the ecosystem to innovate on to improve existing services or create new services. Edge exposure is a function with enriched APIs specifically for edge applications requiring quick API responses and secure communication between application and devices. Since providing new services based on 5G and edge computing often involves several companies in the ecosystem, for example application developers and hyperscale cloud infrastructure providers, there is also a need to support flexible business models catering for the needs of all involved parties.

Ericsson Edge Exposure Server is an addition to the current product Ericsson Cloud Core Exposure Server and provides network exposure capabilities to support simple and developer-friendly APIs to edge application ecosystems. Making it easy for developers is foundational to bring new services to the market quickly and with limited system integration efforts. The APIs will initially include device information and location and quality of services functions. Ericsson Edge Exposure Server also enables CSPs to add value within the ecosystem through functions such as edge application discovery making it easier for devices to connect to the right edge location and common exposure for monetization addressing the need of flexible business models.

Monica Zethzon, Head of Solution Area Packet Core at Ericsson says: “With the launch of the Edge Exposure Server, we will further support CSPs to be part in delivering new enterprise and consumer services like drones, AR/VR and gaming while maximizing the quality of experience.”

Exposure capabilities are vital in making CSPs more attractive partners in the edge ecosystem, enabling innovation of services beyond mobile broadband. A typical use case involving edge exposure is connected drones that are used for mission critical tasks where both regulatory requirements and video streaming quality is important.

Caroline Chappell, Research director at Analysys Mason says: “Ericsson’s Exposure Server supports developer-friendly APIs and a path to API harmonization across CSP 4/5G networks. This will enable CSPs to add value within the edge ecosystem to application developers, system integrators, public cloud providers and device OEMs.”