Ericsson selected as BT’s 5G partner for London and major UK cities
- Ericsson will be a key BT partner for 5G deployment in the UK capitals London, Edinburgh, Belfast and Cardiff and other major cities, managing around 50 percent of their total 5G traffic
- Ericsson will also modernize BT’s existing 2G and 4G Radio Access Network (RAN) infrastructure enhancing customer experience and network performance for BT and EE customers
- This deal builds on BT’s selection of Ericsson for 5G Core earlier in the year, making Ericsson the end-to-end 5G partner for BT
BT and EE customers are set to benefit from Ericsson (NASDAQ: ERIC) 5G Radio Access Network (RAN) connectivity following the company’s selection as BT’s 5G RAN provider in the UK capitals London, Edinburgh, Belfast and Cardiff and other major cities.
This announcement marks a significant strengthening in the BT-Ericsson strategic partnership, and builds on BT’s selection of Ericsson to provide the company’s next-generation cloud-native dual-mode 5G Core earlier this year, making Ericsson the end-to-end 5G partner for BT. Once the deployment is completed, Ericsson will manage around 50 percent of BT’s 5G traffic.
The expanded partnership creates exciting opportunities for collaboration on the next generation of 5G products and services.
While delivering improved customer experience to BT’s mobile customers, Ericsson’s RAN platform technology also underlines BT’s long-standing commitment to sustainability, reducing the company’s energy consumption and optimizing costs.
Philip Jansen, CEO, BT, says: “Our customers deserve the best network and we are delivering. We’re the UK leader in 5G and are excited to be working with Ericsson as a key partner to maintain that market leadership. Through this deal, we will continue to drive the best mobile experiences for our customers. The lightning-fast speeds of 5G will help them to develop their businesses, stream a growing choice of content over our network, and stay in touch with colleagues and friends all over the world.”
Börje Ekholm, President and CEO, Ericsson, says: “BT has a clear direction in how it wants to drive its 5G ambitions in the UK and we are delighted to be their partner in delivering that. Having already been selected to partner in 5G Core, we are pleased to strengthen the relationship further with this deal that will deliver high performance and secure 5G to their customers across the UK’s major cities. By deploying 5G in these key areas, we are yet again demonstrating our technology leadership in population-dense and high traffic locations.“
He adds: “5G plays a critical role in meeting the UK’s Digital ambitions, accelerating digitalization of the economy and stimulating next generation wireless innovation for consumers and enterprise. With leading 5G technology, a robust supply chain capability, and more than 120 years of local presence in the UK, we’re committed to rolling out a reliable and secure 5G network alongside BT.”
Portfolio information:
Ericsson’s 5G RAN deployment and 2G/4G network modernization will comprise products and solutions from the Ericsson Radio System portfolio. This includes Ericsson Spectrum Sharing, which will enable BT to dynamically share 4G and 5G traffic to enable smooth, fast, and cost-effective migration to 5G.
Ericsson’s cloud native dual-mode 5G Core network selection by BT will see products and services from Ericsson’s dual-mode 5G Core (Evolved Packet Core and 5G Core) being deployed.
Ericsson currently has 113 commercial 5G agreements and contracts with unique communications service providers globally, of which 64 are publicly announced 5G deals, including 65 live commercial 5G networks.
Related links:
Ericsson 5G
Ericsson 5G Core
Ericsson Radio System
Ericsson Spectrum Sharing
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Ericsson enables communications service providers to capture the full value of connectivity. The company’s portfolio spans Networks, Digital Services, Managed Services, and Emerging Business. It is designed to help our customers go digital, increase efficiency and find new revenue streams. Ericsson’s innovation investments have delivered the benefits of mobility and mobile broadband to billions of people around the world. Ericsson stock is listed on Nasdaq Stockholm and on Nasdaq New York. www.ericsson.com
