International. Ericsson and Telefónica have signed a global collaboration for the development of 5G technologies, products and services. The two companies will jointly support the current and new initiatives that are being carried out and that will boost the development of 5G technologies and the business environment in which they can evolve, with a special focus on the 5G PPP and ETP Networld 2020 programs, promoted by the European Commission in the Horizon 2020 program.
The collaboration between the two companies has already begun. An example of this is the recent creation of the first 5G excellence laboratory by Telefónica (through its innovation unit: Telefónica I+D) and the IMDEA Networks Institute in Spain. The laboratory, 5TONIC, aims to create an open ecosystem for innovation and research. Ericsson is the first manufacturer to join this initiative as part of its 5G for Europe program.
Ulf Ewaldsson, CTO of Ericsson, said: "5G is constantly evolving and the transition will be gradual, as the deployment of commercial and complete 5G systems is not expected until 2020. To achieve that goal, investment in research and development of 5G technology trials must continue. We are proud to partner with Telefónica to lead this effort."
Among the companies' joint initiatives are research, debate, field trials, and demonstrations of technology and equipment to support the eventual 5G network architecture, communications, services and applications. Through this joint work, Ericsson and Telefónica will develop a mutual understanding of use cases, requirements and deployment scenarios for 5G wireless systems and the prepared core based on a virtualized network architecture.
Ericsson is leading and driving the work of standardization of 5G – from exploratory research trials and pre-standardization field tests, through standardization activities, together with international standardization bodies and industry. Thanks to key technological advancements such as the Ericsson 5G Radio prototypes, which include advanced antenna designs, multi-user MIMO technologies and beamforming, Ericsson and its customers will be key players in defining the next generation of mobile network technology to market.
