In a world where connectivity is ‘King,’ it’s become more important than ever for us to understand what makes a great 5G partner.
Yes, speed is important of course, but the real power lies in having a framework of support that will allow us to build better networks, implement new use cases and future-proof our businesses, so that we can be sure we are constantly leading the way forward.
Understanding the true potential of 5G
As a 5G influencer, I know the confusion that plagues businesses when it comes to understanding the best path to take in terms of choosing a partner that will deliver both now and in the future. With this in mind, I want to dispel the myths and break down the hyperbole into an easy to understand assessment of the true potential of 5G, while shining a light on the solutions I feel are best able to deliver.
Firstly, it’s key to understand that to realize the true power of 5G technology, we must think wider than ‘one technology and one frequency band’. It’s about looking beyond those, sometimes misleading, showcase speed tests and, instead, thinking of how to enable scalable 5G, as well as setting the foundation for future generations.
One company stands out in providing a truly world-leading 5G solution that encompasses all that’s important about the technology, while laying the groundwork for future connectivity growth through an ‘always-on’ framework of innovation.
Paving the way for a ‘Golden Era’
Ericsson have always proven themselves leaders in connectivity solutions and are constantly breaking new ground in paving the way to a golden era of 5G possibility. They were the first to provide 5G nation-wide coverage with low-band in 2019 and, more recently, through their award-winning ‘Spectrum Sharing’ solution, enabling 1ms spectral efficiency with dynamic allocation of spectrum between 4G and 5G.
Ericsson Spectrum Sharing (ESS) is a unique solution, including coordinated scheduling with 1ms granularity and frequency division multiplexing. Image source: Ericsson
Unique solutions that deliver on their promises
And, regarding those previously mentioned on-the-spot peak speed tests, Ericsson prefers to also measure with mobility rather than a single point, as this provides a more accurate reflection of smoother speeds across a broader geography.
To extend coverage and performance, Ericsson has a number of unique solutions such as their ‘Uplink Booster’ solution, which seamlessly delivers 15% better coverage than their closest competitor as a result of their innovations in Massive MIMO radios hardware and software.
Image source: Ericsson
In addition, ‘Carrier Aggregation’ between low- and mid-bands (or high-bands) improves mid-band coverage by 25% and network capacity by 27%, compared to the current way of deploying 5G mid-band with ‘Dual Connectivity’ using 4G. Ericsson’s solution means that operators gain the flexibility to use smaller hardware that requires less space on-site and consumes less energy.
Ericsson’s dual-mode 5G Core is an evolution of their powerful virtualized portfolio, designed for cloud deployment, consisting of their ’Cloud Packet Core,’ ’Cloud UDM and Policy’ and Signaling Controller’ products. It can help service providers get the most out of cloud native, microservices, user plane performance and more, enabling new ways of achieving challenging business and operational goals, while migrating to a 5G Core (5GC).
The journey from EPC to 5GC can offer many different paths and challenges, but Ericsson have found a way to simplify the journey with their dual-mode 5G Core solution, combining EPC and 5GC into a common cloud native platform.
Unrivalled interoperability
Perhaps one of the most important things to know when deciding on a 5G partner is the fact that Ericsson networks support the largest number of 5G devices (40+). This broad support comes from their intensive interoperability testing with all chipset vendors on low-, mid- and high-bands, and they continue to test devices, including gateways and sensors for industries.
This is needed to secure 5G in all geographies and achieve the full potential of 5G technology.
Please note: Above numbers correct at the time of writing.
For the latest 5G updates, head here: https://www.ericsson.com/en/5g
Swapping old radio equipment with 5G-ready Ericsson Radio System equipment nationwide makes it possible for service providers to serve 5G use cases with a single software upgrade and, as Ericsson found in their recent customer case studies, it could also save them up to 30 percent on overall energy consumption.
Even with existing 4G networks, Ericsson report examples where their customers have saved up to 15 percent simply by switching on energy-saving software in the network.
With a large part of energy consumption occurring in the radio access network (RAN) clearly it is crucial to focus on RAN energy performance improvements to be able to limit the increase and even break the curve of power consumption.
Image source: Ericsson
The best improvements can be achieved by modernising and switching to new Ericsson Radio System equipment, as the latest radios and basebands are far more energy efficient than legacy equipment.
But what about the speed you say?
For operators looking to deliver the highest peak speeds possible, Ericsson have the right portfolio. With a technical specification comprising eight component carriers (8CC) aggregating 800MHz of millimeter wave spectrum, Ericsson engineers achieved delivery rates of 4.3Gbps – the fastest 5G speed to date.
This incredible landmark was achieved during interoperability testing using commercial solutions.
Image source: Ericsson
And the world is taking notice!
In Korea, for example, download speeds of Ericsson’s 4.5+ million subscribers there, were measured and it was found that its mid-band 5G delivered better coverage, 100% better uplink speeds and 5% better download speeds than the country’s second-best competitor.
Ahead of the competition
Ericsson is ahead of the competition by being first to deploy cloud native EPC - running live with Verizon and Telstra - as well as providing NR Standalone 5GC on bare metal and it also leads the way in 5G standardization with the most contributions by far for 4G and 5G.
It’s declarations to ETSI for applying an essentiality filter also mean that Ericsson is on top of the 5G patent race.
Image source: Ericsson
Leading the way to a full-connected world
True leadership is about finding balance; about determining what’s important for today - and for tomorrow. Ericsson understands this philosophy and it’s the very backbone of their 5G offering.
It’s one that adds immediate value and enables industry to seize the many powerful opportunities that 5G brings, but it’s also one that safeguards their customers future, securing their 5G revenues and allowing them to make their mark in what, with Ericsson’s help, will soon be a fully-connected world.
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The above post is sponsored as part of Ericsson’s Ambassador program.