 "Ericsson, Hans Vestberg")
Swedish telecom equipment maker Ericsson on Wednesday announced introduction of a new radio system in the Indian market, which will help mobile companies roll out fifth-generation (5G) services in future. "With the Ericsson Radio System, total cost of ownership will reduce by 20 per cent," Hans Vestberg, president and chief executive, said on Wednesday.
The system gives operators the infrastructure they need to support mobile data demand, predicted to reach 25 exabytes per month globally by 2020, when 5G is expected to be commercialised, the company said.
Earlier in 2015, Ericsson had carried out a demonstration of pre-standard 5G radio technology, delivering speeds of 5 gbps (gigabytes per second) using 15GHz spectrum. Though the 5G standards will be firmed up only around 2020, pre-commercialisation launch of 5G will happen at the 2018 Olympics, Vestberg said.
Vestberg added Ericsson would commission its Pune factory by the second quarter of 2016. The firm has invested $15-20 million in the plant, which will become a hub for exports from India to all 180 countries Ericsson operates in.
It has also invested in a software that can be employed for connected devices known as internet of things (IoT) with limited battery usages. "We are co-creating end-to-end IoT network and device solutions. These put our mobile operator customers solidly on the road to 5G," said Arun Bansal, senior vice-president and head of the radio business unit.
IoT are connected devices that can be employed in a building or any device for smooth operation. The main causes of limited usage of such devices are high cost, low device battery life, and poor cellular coverage in both remote areas and deep inside buildings. Ericsson said it has started working on finding solutions to mitigate such challenges by collaborating with leading chip makers and other leaders in the respective technology to reduce cost, improve network connectivity and battery life of a IoT device to up to 10 years.
