Ericsson Spectrum Sharing Ready to Enhance 5G Rollout

Ericsson Spectrum Sharing Ready to Enhance 5G Rollout

Ericsson has announced that its unique dynamic spectrum sharing solution has become commercially available for the first time, with the capacity to allow communications service providers to quickly and cost-effectively launch 5G on a nationwide scale.

Executive Vice President and Head of Networks, Ericsson, Fredrik Jejdling, who made the disclosure in a statement issued by the company, said: “For the first time, our customers do not have to re-farm spectrum before deploying a new generation technology and can quickly get 5G on the same footprint as they have with 4G today. In the next 12 months, more than 80 per cent of the commercial 5G networks we support will use our spectrum sharing solution to achieve broad 5G coverage.”

Ericsson Spectrum Sharing allows both 4G and 5G to be deployed in the same band and on the same radio through a software upgrade and dynamically allocates spectrum based on user demand. Ericsson’s dynamic spectrum sharing is the most economically feasible way to deploy 5G on existing bands – enabling wide 5G coverage from day one – making more efficient use of spectrum and enabling superior user performance.

Senior Analyst, Ovum/Omdia, Julian Bright, said: “Spectrum is a scarce and costly resource that should be used efficiently. Ericsson Spectrum Sharing will mean that service providers can rapidly roll out 5G on their FDD bands without the need to re-invest. It means they can use both their new and existing bands for 5G high-speed, high-capacity services. Dynamically allocating spectrum between 4G and 5G is going to be the best way to start deploying 5G.”

Ericsson, with its sole mobile network vendor and strategic partner, Swisscom was the first communications service provider in Europe to launch commercial 5G services in April 2019. In December 2019, Swisscom achieved nationwide 5G coverage and is upgrading their network with Ericsson Spectrum Sharing.

According to Head of IT, Network and Infrastructure Group division, Swisscom, Christoph Aeschlimann: “ESS is key for a fast adoption of 5G. It’s a win-win approach for customers and operators. Customers benefit from 5G in no time and operators use their precious spectrum in a most efficient manner. We are proud of being part of the ESS journey from the very beginning. In the meantime, we already reached a nationwide coverage with 90 percent of the population with 5G.”

Network and Engineering Infrastructure Executive at Telstra, Channa Seneviratne, said: “Ericsson Spectrum Sharing will continue to play a crucial role in helping Telstra pave the way for a faster rollout of 5G, allowing us to serve the needs of 4G and 5G customers in the same location at the same time. These milestones are especially important for Telstra and the Australian landscape, where expanding 5G coverage over wide areas quickly and efficiently are key to providing more Australians with access to 5G services.”

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