Ericsson unveils new 5G products and solutions

The new additions were largely on the operations and business support services side and are designed to enhance the user experience, cut complexity and cost, and enable faster deployment of services and to boost automated provisioning. There was also a new Radio Dot product and some new products for the Ericsson Radio System.

Setting the scene, Fredrik Jejdling, Executive VP and Head of Business Area Networks, said that 2019 was the year in which 5G was introduced and now the main effort in 2020 is how to scale it up. Phase One of 5G was standardised by 3GPP 18 months early and there are now 13 million 5G subscriptions with South Korea and the USA leading the way, he reported.

Jejdling estimates we will see 100 million 5G subscriptions by the end of 2020 with 20 to 25 percent of MNOs launching 5G this year. In terms of take up, he said much depends on consumer pricing and what the MNOs will charge subscribers and what service bundles are offered. At present, most 5G use cases relate to faster broadband for consumers, but newer uses cases will start to come in later in the year.