Ericsson partners with Jio to build India's 5G standalone network
Oct 17, 2022
New Delhi [India], October 17 : Ericsson on Monday announced that it has entered into a long-term strategic 5G contract with Indian telecom service provider Reliance Jio Infocomm (Jio) to roll out 5G standalone in the country.
A statement by Ericsson on Monday said that this is the first partnership between Jio and Ericsson for radio access network deployment in the country.
The announcement follows the allocation of 5G spectrum in the recently concluded auctions in India.
"We are delighted to partner with Ericsson for Jio's 5G SA rollout. Jio transformed the digital landscape in India with the launch of LTE services in 2016. We are confident that Jio's 5G network will accelerate India's digitalization and will serve as the foundation for achieving our nation's 'Digital India' vision," said Akash Ambani, Chairman of Reliance Jio.
Jio's standalone 5G network deployment represents a major technology leap since it modernizes the network infrastructure to deliver a truly transformative 5G experience to consumers and enterprises. The capabilities of 5G standalone are expected to drive innovation and build a robust new-age ecosystem and deliver advanced services.
Ericsson's energy-efficient 5G Radio Access Network (RAN) products and solutions from Ericsson Radio System and E-band microwave mobile transport solution will be deployed in the 5G network for Jio.
All products and solutions are deployed on new-build 5G standalone networks, designed to maximize the benefits of 5G to CSPs and their customers - whether individual subscribers or enterprise and industry customers, the statement said.
"India is building world-class digital infrastructure that will drive innovation, job creation and entrepreneurship across the country. We are happy to partner with Jio in those ambitions, through Ericsson 5G Standalone connectivity, which will be a major catalyst in meeting those digital transformation goals across society, enterprise and industry," said Borje Ekholm, President and CEO, Ericsson.
Ericsson invests around 18 percent of global revenue in R&D and holds the leading patent portfolio in the industry, with more than 60,000 granted patents worldwide. It is also the holder of the most 5G essential patents.
From setting up the first switch in India in 1903 to providing connectivity across 2G, 3G, 4G and now preparing for 5G, Ericsson continues to play a pivotal role in powering virtually every facet of telecommunications in the country.
5G in India:
The central government intends to cover 5G services across the country within 2 years, said Union Electronics and Information Technology minister Ashwini Vaishnaw recently at an event.
The government in mid-August issued spectrum allocation letters to telecom service providers while asking them to prepare for the rollout of 5G services.
Earlier this month, Bharti Airtel said it had launched "Airtel 5G Plus" services in eight cities - Delhi, Mumbai, Chennai, Bengaluru, Hyderabad, Siliguri, Nagpur and Varanasi - and would cover all of urban India in 2023.
Reliance Jio has also announced it will launch high-speed 5G telecom services by Diwali this year in multiple key cities such as Delhi, Mumbai, Kolkata and Chennai. Subsequently, it intends to expand its 5G network to each and every town, tehsil and talukas across the country by December of 2023, which is less than 18 months from now.
