Verizon recruits Ericsson ahead of 5G launch
US telco giant Verizon has awarded a contract to Sweden’s Ericsson to provide networking equipment ahead of the company’s 5G launch, planned for the second half of 2018.
To enable this, the contract will see Ericsson providing a 5G core network, a 5G radio access network (RAN) and transport and associated services to Verizon.
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“5G will change the way we work, interact, learn and play,” said Ed Chan, Senior Vice President, Technology Strategy and Planning for Corporate Networking and Technology, Verizon. “Through our work with Ericsson, we are creating a clear roadmap and building a robust ecosystem that will enable us to maximize the potential of 5G.”
The two companies have already been working together by conducting fixed-wireless 5G trials using mmWave spectrum across a number of cities and neighbourhoods.
These trials have been significant in making progress with 5G – a technology that is expected to become critical in meeting connectivity requirements for many emerging, mobile and fixed wireless, consumer broadband experiences.
“Our pioneering work with 5G will make US consumers and businesses among the first in the world to benefit from the transformative services of the new technology,” said Fredrik Jejdling, Executive Vice President and Head of Business Area Networks, Ericsson.
“It further illustrates how our global 5G portfolio, designed to support 5G NR as standardized in 3GPP, enables first movers in the early commercialization of 5G networks.”
5G is likely to be used in a number of applications including high-definition video streaming, virtual and augmented reality, and cloud computing.
