Ericsson reveals its 5G vision to capture a $582bn market

15 Feb 2017

Image: Wichai Thongtape/Shutterstock

AR and VR everywhere – that’s the 5G vision that Ericsson is preparing for.

Ericsson has revealed its technology platform for 5G, which it estimates will be a $582bn global market.

The Swedish tech giant today (15 February) revealed a new 5G platform that will comprise its 5G core, radio and transport portfolios as well as support systems, transformation services and security.

‘It is an important milestone enabling operators to continue their evolution journey to 5G’
– ARUN BANSAL

Ericsson expects that in 2026, there will be a $582bn market opportunity as telecoms operators leverage 5G technology for industry digitalisation.

5G will aim to help operators ensure 34pc growth in revenues by 2026.

Network slicing key to Ericsson 5G vision

The 5G Core System is based on network slicing, where operators can create dedicated virtual networks with specific functions.

This will enable enterprises to access 5G services on a global basis without having individual agreements among operators.

The network slicing concept has already been proven by Deutsche Telekom, SK Telecom and Ericsson itself.

All three operators have built and demonstrated the world’s first intercontinental 5G trial, where network slices were available on each network footprint.

The new radio portfolios add mid-band and high-band 5G New Radio (NR) devices to the world’s first 5G NR radio that Ericsson launched last year.

This portfolio will be the first to support the new standardised 5G fronthaul interface called eCPRI.

The Swedish telecoms giant said the new radios will be pivotal on the road to 5G, by enabling the creation of fast 1Gbps LTE networks.

“With this launch, we introduce our 5G platform to support the beginning of a huge change in network capabilities, allowing our customers to offer more advanced use cases and new business models to their customers,” said Arun Bansal, head of business unit network products at Ericsson.

“It is an important milestone enabling operators to continue their evolution journey to 5G.”

In the US, Verizon has already deployed 5G technology on a trial basis.

“Our customer trials with 5G technology in 11 cities across the US is an important step in accelerating the path to the next generation of wireless services,” said Roger Gurnani, CTO of Verizon.

Updated, 5.57pm, 15 February 2017: This article was updated to clarify that Ericsson’s 5G vision is for 2026, not 2016.

John Kennedy is a journalist who served as editor of Silicon Republic for 17 years

editorial@siliconrepublic.com