Ericsson on the importance of open, collaborative ecosystems: “ I am convinced that we are not winning alone; we will be winning as a team.”
As the vision of open networks becomes reality, Ericsson is working with communications service providers (CSPs) and ecosystem collaborators to drive the next wave of mobile innovation. During the Telecom Infra Project’s recent FYUZ event in Dublin, Ireland, the company described 5G as a game of two halves: the first was marked by building high-performing networks for enhanced mobile broadband (eMBB); the second is all about leveraging that performance, alongside programmability, to deliver differentiated services and capture new revenue opportunities.
Ericsson’s Global Head of RAN Software, Johan Hultell, summed it up this way in an interview with RCR Wireless News: “What we are doing now, when we’re entering the second half, is really building programmable networks…And that, for me, is the big opportunity we have as an industry to start monetizing.”
In the transition from a single, uniform service — eMBB — to multiple services that address the specific needs of each use case, ranging from fixed wireless access to industrial automation, Hultell stressed the importance of effectively managing rising complexity. Ericsson’s approach hinges on service awareness, the exposure of network data to application programming interfaces (APIs) and artificial intelligence (AI). Underlying all of those, he said, is the need to cultivate and work within open, collaborative ecosystems.
“To find the best solution,” Hultell said, “what you need is to try a lot.” A single vendor trying a lot alone will inevitably be too late to market. “The open interfaces and this collaborative approach are really about two things: one, making sure that we together can try a lot, and then secondly, once we have found something that works, we can scale it…I am convinced that we are not winning alone; we will be winning as a team.”
In a landmark deal with AT&T, for example, Ericsson is delivering an open intelligent hardware and software platform to propel the CSP to success in the second half of 5G. To underscore its openness, Ericsson has integrated its baseband products with third-party radios provided by 1Finity; further, AT&T has deployed third-party rApps on the Ericsson Intelligent Automation Platform. Together, these efforts are creating a high-performing programmable network for AT&T.
In another case, Ericsson is working with Bell Canada to drive performance and spectral efficiency by applying AI to its RAN software — AI-native link adaptation, and by that has achieved significant improvements. Speaking at FYUZ in a session hosted by Ericsson, Bell Canada’s Brad Stimpson, director of wireless technology, said the collaboration has delivered 20% higher downlink throughput and a 10% increase in spectral efficiency. “As we look towards the future,” Stimpson said, “the vision we really have is how do we move this quickly to a production environment?…I think the collaboration is going to be key as we evolve.”
Looking at the long-term trajectory of network evolution, Hultell outlined three primary pillars: “One is cloud, one is AI, one is connectivity. And we are seeing those converging.” When data from a mobile network is abstracted into the cloud where AI is applied, the result is intelligent operations that reduce operational costs, and new capabilities that can translate programmability into revenue. “I think it’s key to master all of those but not master them individually,” Hultell said. “I have never seen as much innovation as I’m seeing today. And I’m not only seeing it from traditional vendors. I’m seeing it from all over.” As this pace of innovation accelerates, he added, “I think it will be more about building ecosystems, building partnerships.”
For more information on how Ericsson is helping CSPs build high-performance, programmable networks ready for the AI era, check out these resources:
- Article: The journey toward programmable networks
- Paper: High performing programmable networks — the foundation for the next wave of mobile
