Ericsson's president and CEO, Börje Ekholm, says Ericsson will move to global 5G technology in 2019, this statement is supported by a strong and secure company portfolio. Addressing media and analysts at the launch of the MWC Barcelona 2019, Ekholm also highlighted the role of 5G as the essential national infrastructure, highlighting the benefits for first-time users.
"We really go to 5G in 2019, around the world," he added.
Ekholm said Ericsson has announced 5G business partnerships with 10 service providers as well as 42 contract documents. The company is already launching 5G networks around the world: in the US, Europe, Asia and Australia. Ericsson CEO has said that more news will be announced in the near future.
"Consumers and companies are waiting for 5G," Ekholm said. "According to Ericsson Consumer Lab research, one third of global smartphone users will immediately or within six months pass to an operator providing 5G. Currently, the US and Asia are leaders in 5G development. "
Ékholm said that the first 5G commercial-scale beneficiaries will be mobile broadband consumers with massive and highly efficient capacity expansions, facilitating new applications in augmented reality and virtual reality in areas such as gaming and sports broadcasts.
He also highlighted how 5G will transform the industry beyond consumer products into the industrial internet, noting as ongoing collaborations in mobile robots as well as in the autonomous electric vehicle segment.
Moreover, Ekholm highlighted how the Ericsson Radio System hardware has been prepared for 5G since 2015 and can also be used for 5G New Radio (NR) with remote software installation.
This means that Ericsson has already delivered more than 3 million 5G-ready radios to its customers worldwide.
Ericsson's unique sharing capabilities and common core and dynamic orchestration solutions can leverage Ericsson's customer base in the 5G segment, he said.
"Ericsson Spectrum Sharing is the most economically feasible way to introduce 5G in existing bands, gaining immediate coverage nationwide," he said. "We can dynamically merge 4G and 5G traffic on the same spectrum. It was said that this kind of spectrum sharing is impossible. Not true! We have world-class engineers. Thanks to spectrum sharing, our customers have the real advantage of using the first 5G. "
Ekholm announced that Ericsson plans to acquire Kathrein, the antenna company and filters for mobile networks. This will extend the company's capabilities and competencies in the field of advanced active and passive antennas. Ericsson will bring around 4,000 highly qualified professionals in research and development, production and sales in over 20 locations, including Germany, Romania, Mexico and China.
To get a full picture of Ericsson's presentations and discussions at MWC Barcelona, please visit the event page, attend the event in Hall 2 of Barcelona or live online.
