Taiwanese operator Far EasTone Telecom (FET) has selected Ericsson as its vendor for 5G Standalone (SA) and Non-standalone (NSA) dual-mode 5G Core and Voice over LTE (VoLTE) services, the latter said in a release.
The deal builds on Ericsson’s existing 5G partnership with FET, including the launch of commercial 5G in July 2020.
As part of the new deal, Ericsson will support FET in the expansion of its 5G NSA capabilities and SA evolution on the low, mid- and high-band frequencies.
In addition to end-to-end network orchestration and management, the expanded partnership will include full network design, planning and optimization services, Ericsson said, with the aim of maximizing FET’s spectrum assets by expanding its mid-band base stations and modernizing existing low-band stations.
Ericsson will also provide a turnkey solution to deploy cloud-native dual-mode 5G Core, including the container-based Ericsson Cloud Packet Core, Ericsson Cloud Unified Data Management and Policy, Ericsson Cloud Native Infrastructure and Ericsson Orchestrator.
The deal also includes Ericsson Radio System products, including antenna-integrated radios (AIR) for mid-band and millimeter wave.
The extended agreement also stipulated the deployment of Ericsson’s AI-powered Cognitive Optimization, ensuring continuous optimization for 5G network performance and enhanced user experience, the vendor said.
“The recent 5G network performance recognition both by Speedtest and Opensignal confirms our commitment to providing best 5G experiences for customers in Taiwan,” said Chee Ching, president of Far EasTone. “With the proven network performance, we are glad to extend the strong partnership with Ericsson to continue the footprint and build a world-class 5G network.”
“Our close collaboration with FET to deliver a world leading network shows the benefit of combining end-to-end efficient network assets with operational efficiency, to improve customer experience,” said Chafic Nassif, president of Ericsson Taiwan. “Together with FET, we are keen to continue to drive next-generation 5G-powered opportunities and innovative services for both industry and consumers in Taiwan.”
FET has already reached over 300,000 5G subscribers, according to previous reports. The carrier also said that it aims to reach 1 million customers in the 5G segment by the end of next year.
The telecom’s 5G network coverage currently reaches 55% of Taiwan’s territory, while 5G coverage in capital Taipei reaches 92%.
Far EasTone said the aim for next year is to reach a 5G coverage of 90% of the nation.
Last month, Ericsson announced that it had been selected by Taiwanese operator Asia-Pacific Telecom (APT) to modernize its network and support with 5G Non-Standalone (NSA) Multi-Operator Core Network readiness. Under the terms of the agreement, Ericsson will provide radio access network (RAN) solutions from its 5G-ready Ericsson Radio System portfolio as well as 5G NSA licenses to do 5G Multi-Operator Core Networks (MOCN). The contract also covers Ericsson Network Manager and OSS migration services and upgrades.
