The two partners carried out a end-to-end, multi-vendor 5G data call on 3.5 GHz spectrum
Ericsson and Swisscom recently completed what they claim is Europe’s first end-to-end, multivendor 5G Non-Standalone data call on 3.5 GHz band.
The two partners said the 5G data call took place in the Swiss city of Burgdorf.
The end-to-end 5G data call was made over Swisscom’s 3GPP-compliant network using Ericsson’s Radio System radio, baseband and transport solutions, as well as the Ericsson Cloud Packet Core operated on a system-verified Ericsson NFVi solution.
Ericsson also said that data transmissions were carried out using Intel’s mobile trial platform (MTP) device and a 5G-subscribed SIM card from Swisscom.
Swisscom previously announced plans to rollout commercial 5G services in certain locations across Switzerland by the end of this year.
“The experience that Swisscom gains with the 5G network in Burgdorf is very important for our coming launch of 5G services,” said Heinz Herren, CIO and CTO at Swisscom.
“By achieving an end-to-end data call on the 3.5GHz band and kick-starting the 5G network rollout, we are helping Swisscom bring 5G services quicker to its customers. Access to new technologies will prepare industries for 5G use cases that will benefit the whole of Switzerland,” said Fredrik Jejdling, EVP and head of Business Area Networks at Ericsson.
The two companies are collaborating on end-to-end network slicing for critical communications in a joint project to deploy and explore new use cases for 4G and 5G. The project is based on Ericsson radio access and core networks, and one of the first steps is to test how the functionality can support critical communications over public networks, for example, in the public transport sector.
At Mobile World Congress 2018, the two companies demonstrated how end-to-end network slicing can be implemented on Ericsson’s 4G and 5G network solutions. In November 2017, the Swiss telco selected Ericsson to implement the digital transformation and evolution process of its entire network to deploy nationwide gigabit LTE and 5G. Under the terms of their agreement, the vendor is currently working to transform Swisscom’s mobile operations using its full stack telco cloud solution including network slicing capabilities.
Ericsson delivers end-to-end 5G transport solution to Swisscom
In related news, Swisscom also selected Ericsson to deliver a new end-to-end 5G IP transport network. The Swiss operator said the new transport network adds capacity and provides advanced features for its radio and core networks that will enable low latency and new 5G industry use cases.
Ericsson said that its new architecture — based on Ericsson Router 6000 and core routers from Juniper — will allow Swisscom to have full control over its networks, including management and orchestration.
“We have selected Ericsson’s transport solution for our 5G network. Partnering with Juniper Networks, Ericsson has extended its transport coverage and can now take end-to-end transport responsibility all the way from the Radio Access Network (RAN) to the next generation core,” Herren said.
