Ericsson Spectrum Sharing now Commercially Available

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

In the words of Fredrik Jejdling, Executive Vice President and Head of Networks, Ericsson: “For the first time, our customers do not have to re-farm spectrum before deploying a new ‘G’ and can quickly get 5G on the same footprint as they have with 4G today. In the next 12 months, more than 80 percent 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 on a 1 millisecond basis. 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.

Similarly, Julian Bright, Senior Analyst, Ovum/Omdia, says: “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.”

It will be recalled that 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 Christoph Aeschlimann, Head of IT, Network & Infrastructure Group division, Swisscom,: “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.”

It noteworthy that in May 2019, Telstra launched its commercial 5G network in Australia and has now rolled out 5G coverage in 32 metropolitan and regional cities around the country with the help of Ericsson, its key 5G network partner.

Channa Seneviratne, Network and Engineering Infrastructure Executive, Telstra, says: “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.”

Interestingly, after going commercially live with 5G on 3.5 GHz band in Doha, Ooredoo is taking the next step to make its ‘Supernet’ fully 5G-enabled across the country with Ericsson Spectrum Sharing.

Waleed Al Sayed, Chief Executive Officer, Ooredoo Qatar, says: “As we take the next leap into being connected, Ericsson Spectrum Sharing comes as a unique innovation that dynamically shares spectrum between 4G and 5G carriers based on traffic demand.

This enables us, as mobile operators, to use our spectrum assets efficiently by driving 5G-wide coverage roll-out quickly, smoothly and cost efficiently. This will help us achieve our strategic objectives, enabling us to enhance our customers’ internet experience and enrich their digital lives.”

Also, Polish service provider, Play, has deployed Ericsson Spectrum Sharing on its commercial network.

Jean Marc Harion, CEO of Play, says: “The 5G network in Legionowo is yet another proof of Play’s technological advancement in 5G and an important milestone in our strategy to continuously expand and modernize our network. With Ericsson Spectrum Sharing, we are taking a significant step towards being ready for commercial introduction of 5G when the devices become available.”

Ericsson Spectrum Sharing software can run on any of the five million 5G-ready radios Ericsson has shipped since 2015. Ericsson has been collaborating with ecosystem chipset partners including Qualcomm Technologies Inc., a subsidiary of Qualcomm Incorporated, on advancing dynamic spectrum sharing using mobile devices powered by Qualcomm® Snapdragon™ 865 and 765 Mobile Platforms with Snapdragon 5G Modem-RF Systems, and MediaTek (Dimensity 1000) as well as key device makers like Oppo, Sony, Xiaomi, LG, vivo and WNC (Wistron NeWeb Corp.) to scale the solution globally.