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  • Nigeria, Ericsson seal deal on 5G innovation lab

    Nigeria, Ericsson seal deal on 5G innovation lab

    Nigeria took a significant step forward in its technological advancement on Friday when Vice President Kashim Shettima led a delegation to sign a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) with telecom giant Ericsson on a 5G Innovation Lab. 

    According to a statement by Senior Special Assistant to the President on Media and Communications, Office of the Vice President, Stanley Nkwocha, the deal is aimed at placing Nigeria among the world’s top users of the 5G network in terms of productivity and boosting Nigeria’s technological capabilities.

    The MoU, signed on Friday at Ericsson’s Global Headquarters and Research and Development Lab in Kista, North of Stockholm, Sweden, was witnessed by Shettima and Ericsson’s Senior Vice President and Head of Business Area Middle East and Africa.

    Minister for Communications and Digital Economy, Dr. Bosun Tijani, signed the MoU on behalf of the Nigerian government while Peter Olusoji Ogundele, Country Manager, Ericsson Nigeria, signed on behalf of the telecom giant.

    5G is the fifth generation of cellular networks said to be 100 times faster than 4G, thereby creating unprecedented opportunities for people, businesses and technology across the world.

    Outlining the importance of the MoU, Minister for Communications, Tijani expressed optimism that Nigeria will make the most of 5G technology as its wide coverage will lead to rapid development and growth of the Nigerian economy.

    The Minister said: “It is important that we use the strength of the VP’s visit to truly deepen the relationship with some of our tech partners, and that is what the VP is doing in all the meetings he has had.

    “So we signed the MoU to set up an Innovation Lab with Ericsson, and the focus of that Lab will be to come up with applications based on 5G technology for our projects and practices in agriculture, mining, education, as well as for the general usage of connectivity to improve the quality of life for our people. 

    “Again, the President’s Renewed Hope Agenda, in particular, ties into what we are trying to do with the reforms. The aim of the reforms is to diversify our economy, and it is clear that we cannot diversify our economy without digital technology”.

    Shettima, while being briefed on the company’s technological evolution, radio spectrum matters, standardisation, as well as Cyber and Network Security, inquired about the possibility of deploying 5G technology to help Nigeria improve security of oil facilities, prevent oil theft, and pipeline vandalization.

    Shettima noted that it was crucial for management and planning of the nation’s oil economy.

  • Ericsson recommits to 5G growth

    Ericsson recommits to 5G growth

    Original equipment manufacturer (OEM), Ericsson, has reaffirmed its commitment to accelerate the deployment of the fifth generation (5G) technology in Nigeria and other parts of Africa.

    The technology firm gave the commitment during its delegation engagement with key partners, customers, country stakeholders and industry leaders to Nigeria.

    The visit is in line with Ericsson’s dedication to harnessing the power of connectivity and technology to drive digitalisation across the continent and support sustainable development and economic progress.

    During the visit, Ericsson highlighted engagements in Africa’s Information Communications Technology (ICT) landscape and gave crucial updates on its #AfricaInMotion campaign.

    The leadership delegation engaged in fruitful discussions with Nigeria’s communication service providers, stakeholders, and policymakers on pivotal topics in the nation’s communication industry.

    Read Also: Tinubu sets 3-year economic revival, 50million jobs target

    As part of the discussions, Ericsson highlighted the critical role that connectivity plays in advancing the digital agenda of the country, as well as the potential of 5G, cloud computing, and Industry 4.0 technologies.

    The discussions also touched on how Ericsson’s industry-leading solutions can help drive innovation across various sectors, meet the ever-evolving needs of country, and strengthen collaborations and discourse on cutting-edge solutions to advance Nigeria’s digital revolution.

    Ericsson has a longstanding history with Nigeria and remains a key partner driving the country’s digitalization ambitions. In collaboration with its partners, Ericsson is powering the country’s digital transformation journey through providing the latest innovative technologies like 5G, enabling financial inclusion with the Ericsson Wallet Platform, and empowering young talents under the Ericsson Graduate Program and the Ericsson Innovation Awards.

    Nigeria is a key participant in the Ericsson Innovation Awards, an initiative aimed at nurturing the skills and creativity of young talent across the globe; Team Schrodinger Energy won the third place in the Ericsson Innovation Awards (EIA) 2022 competition.

    Ericsson is committed to leveraging innovation and technology leadership to accelerate the sustainable, social, and economic development of Africa. Ericsson aims to increase collaboration with local communication service providers to bolster the accessibility and utilization of telecommunications technologies to contribute to Nigeria’s economic growth.

  • Ericsson opens factory in China

    Ericsson, a mobile phone company, has concluded the transformation of its existing factory in Nanjing, China.

    The 18-month upgrade has seen Ericsson modernise every step of the production process in Nanjing, in preparation for the introduction and rapid deployments of 5G in China. This includes the first modular-designed automatic assembly line for 5G radios, which will enable Ericsson to produce the latest 5G radios in the capacity needed for the Chinese market.

    The Nanjing factory is part of Ericsson’s global supply chain set up.

    Upbeat, the Executive Vice President and Head of Business Area Networks, Fredrik Jejdling, said this is another important milestone in their global supply readiness for 5G.

    “Our factory in Nanjing is a great example of how our next-generation technology is changing the future of manufacturing for the better. As a global company, we have gained insights from testing and applying 5G technology for industries and now we are bringing the learnings into our own factories, which will benefit the whole ecosystem,” said an elated Jejdling.

    The Nanjing factory is part of Ericsson’s global supply chain set up and this news follows the previous announcements on Ericsson digitalizing its factory in Estonia and establishing a smart factory in the US. Ericsson’s global supply chain strategy is to ensure the company works close to customers through its European, Asian and American operations, and secures fast and agile deliveries to meet customer requirements.

     

  • 5G will spark wave of innovations in Africa, says Mikael Bäck

    Industry 4.0 has arrived, and it is going to spark an unprecedented wave of innovation in the Middle East and Africa (MEA), this is according to Mikael Bäck, Corporate Officer for Ericsson’s Group Function Technology Group.

    Back made this known in an opinion article shared with the media on Monday.

    According to back, Industry 4.0 merges operational, information and communication technologies with cyber-physical systems, enabled by advanced wireless communication and Industrial IoT services.

    This digital and wireless transformation, he said will be powered by 5G networks, which have the potential to drive economic growth in the region like no previous generation of mobile technology.

    “For example, the security, high speeds, low latency and massive number of connections in 5G networks will support smart city and agriculture transformation in many countries in the Middle East and Africa. This will enable new revenue streams from IoT and industrial applications and accelerate digitalisation.

    “Agriculture 4.0 will particularly transform both the demand side and the value chain/supply side of the food-scarcity equation, using technology to address the real needs of consumers.

    “The UAE already uses the SCADA system, which combines up-to-date, real-time data from weather stations with data from soil moisture and salinity sensors.  And IKEA, David Chang and the ruler of Dubai have invested USD 40 million in vertical farming. Other Arab countries are also shifting their focus to expand their agriculture vertically, and conducting trials with a number of new technologies.

    “The Middle East and Africa region is also the world’s largest center for mineral mining (diamond, phosphate, gold) and for oil and gas operations. The domain choice of IoT connectivity for these industries will be 5G.

    “An interesting case study in this area is the Boliden Aitik mine in Sweden. The application of 5G-enabled automation reduces costs by one percent, with communications being the key enabler. For the Aitik mine alone, carrying out drilling and blasting using automation shows an annual EUR 2.5 million net saving. This illustrates the potential for similar operations in MEA and other regions.” he said.

    Switching on 5G in the Middle East

    In 2019, we will start the commercial roll out of 5G with operators in advanced markets like the UAE, Saudi Arabia’s and Qatar, with significant traffic volumes in 2021.  We were recently selected by Batelco to commercially deploy 5G across Bahrain and announced 5G commercial launches with Etisalat, STC and Ooredoo at Mobile World Congress 2019. In fact, all major service providers in the region are moving aggressively to launch 5G commercially, according to Ericsson Mobility Report MEA.

    Moreover, we are working with partners in a multitude of industries, as well as academia partners within research and development projects.

    This has wide regional ramifications, as there are great economic benefits in taking advantage of a new wireless technology first, highlighted by the boom in the app economy in the region after its adoption of 4G.  Numerous regional start-ups like Fetchr!, Souq, Careem, and ReserveOut have been hugely successful, and many more have had a strong impact in the market.

    Key drivers for immediate 5G deployment include increased network capacity, lower cost per gigabyte and new use case requirements. The majority of the 5G subscriptions in the MEA are expected to come from advanced ICT markets like Saudi Arabia, UAE and Qatar while in Africa, considerable momentum is building in South Africa.

    The MEA region’s telecom market is characterized by increasing uptake of LTE. The region will lead the globe with a forecast for 9x mobile data traffic growth (1.8 to 17 EB/month from 2018 to 2024) and see a doubling of mobile broadband subscriptions (850 to 1,630 million from 2018 to 2024), according to Ericsson Mobility Report MEA.

    The exponential role of disruptive technology in climate action

    Beyond improving efficiency and reducing cost, digitalisation and IoT have wide human implications. From smart homes and power grids to connected transport systems, IoT is already making our personal lives safer, healthier and greener.

    ICT in combination with a well-integrated corporate sustainability strategy can help tackle a range of global challenges. While the digital sector is on track to reduce its own emissions, representing just 1.4% of the global total, it is also in a unique position to influence other sectors.

    Social and technological innovations are already scaling, for example, shared and “on-demand” fleets of more energy-efficient electric vehicles could reduce global energy demand for transport by more than 50 percent by 2050 while reducing the number of vehicles on the road.

    For example, the vision adopted by Dubai for 2030 is for 30 percent of public transport to be autonomous. Other GCC states have also revealed plans to cut emissions and improve climate mitigation.

    Adopting circular-economy approaches has the potential to reduce global emissions from industry by 45 percent by 2050. Globally, heavy industries such as steel, aluminum, cement and plastic production can reduce emissions by 50 percent using current technologies and efficiencies.

    5G is the backbone that can make it all work both in the Middle East and Africa as well as across the globe – driving economic value from enhanced mobile broadband to digital industry to combating climate change. That in turn will require an ecosystem of technology, regulatory, security and industry partners to deliver on the potential.

  • Ericsson, UNESCO launch AI programme

    Ericsson (NASDAQ: ERIC) has partnered the United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organisation (UNESCO) to develop a new digital skill learning programme that would expose young people to Artificial Intelligence (AI).

    The initiative was launched at Mobile Learning Week 2019, UNESCO’s flagship education conference held at UNESCO Headquarters in Paris earlier this month.

    The advancement of technologies such as mobile broadband, cloud, IoT (Internet of Things), automation and AI, has increased demand for a new set of skills in the job market.

    Ericsson and UNESCO are combining their strengths to create opportunities to scale up skill development in AI and other key digital skills for young people under the AI for youth initiative.

    The partners will develop and manage a repository of AI and other key digital skill training courses that will be available globally as well as build capacities of master trainers from selected countries with advanced knowledge of AI skill development.  These master trainers will also get support to mobilise AI hub centers and hackathons to train young people on developing AI applications.

    Read also: MTN, Ericsson launch first 5G customer trial

    Heather Johnson, Vice President Sustainability and Corporate Responsibility, Ericsson, said the firm’s partnership with UNESCO would enhance the project.

    “This public private partnership focusing on skill development for Artificial Intelligence is an excellent example of what can be achieved when leaders work together to promote knowledge sharing and cooperation. “

    Borhene Chakroun, Director of Policies and Lifelong Learning Division, UNESCO, added: “At UNESCO we think that artificial intelligence is to be put at the service of sustainable development, a whole set of new education and training programmes has to emerge to equip youth with skills required to live and work in artificial intelligence era. Our partnership with Ericsson is critical to advance this agenda”.

  • Ericsson, Orange launch 4G network in Sierra Leone

    Ericsson and Orange have launched 4G network in Sierra Leone.

    The two companies said the offering will provide residents in the nation’s capital, Freetown, with fast and reliable 4G access.

    Orange will use Ericsson Radio System products and solutions to offer 4G in 60 sites, which is designed for low latency and fast mobile broadband in a cost and energy-efficient manner, optimizing use of frequency bands and realizing fiber-like access speeds over the air. With reduced latency, consumers in Sierra Leone can enjoy online services, including HD video and network games.

    Aminata Kane Ndiaye, CEO of Orange Sierra Leone, says: “Today marks a new era for mobile broadband in Sierra Leone. The 4G launch will bring consumer’s mobile experience to a whole new level – with higher speeds and reliable broadband access. Thanks to our successful cooperation with Ericsson we can offer 4G to our customers, facilitate network planning and maintenance and allow for smooth introduction of new IP-based services.”

    READ ALSO: Ericsson, UNESCO launch AI programme

    Orange also revealed plans to continue the Ericsson Radio System rollout across Sierra Leone. This will enable Orange to serve everything from 2G to 5G, through a risk-free implementation of a series of building blocks. The solution enables Orange to deploy and evaluate new features, in high-traffic areas, before rolling them out more widely.

    Rafiah Ibrahim, Head of Ericsson Middle East and Africa says: “Ericsson and Orange have a longstanding partnership and today we continue our successful journey by bringing 4G to Sierra Leone. Our Ericsson Radio System will enable our partner Orange to continue delivering a superior end-user experience for both existing and future subscribers.”

    Ericsson Radio System, with its end-to-end portfolio of hardware, software and services will help Orange Sierra Leone get quality mobile broadband performance smoothly and profitably.

  • Mobile subscriptions estimation will reach 8.9bn by 2024- Ericsson

    Telecommunications network company, Ericsson, on Wednesday said there would be 8.9 billion mobile subscriptions by the end of 2024 globally.

    Ms Nora Wahby, the Head of Ericsson West Africa, made this known during an online conference with newsmen to discuss Ericsson global mobility report for the third quarter of 2018.

    Wahby noted that mobile broadband subscriptions would reach 8.4 billion, accounting for close to 95 per cent of all mobile subscriptions.

    According to her, the number of unique mobile subscribers was also estimated to reach 6.2 billion by the end of the forecast period.

    She said that mobile broadband would complement fixed broadband in some segments and would be the dominant mode of access in others.

    Wahby said that according to the forecast, the subscription for PCs and tablets with mobile capabilities were expected to show moderate growth reaching 330 million in 2024.

    She also said that smart phone penetration continues to rise , driven by the increasing affordability of devices.

    “The report forecasts that the number of smart phone subscriptions would reach 7.2 billion in 2024 and almost all would be for mobile broadband, ” Wahby said.

    She explained that the Middle East and Africa, which comprises of over 70 countries, at the end of 2018, would have more than 20 per cent mobile subscriptions for Long Term Evolution (LTE).

    “The sub-Saharan Africa will account for more than seven  per cent LTE subscriptions,” she said.

    Wahby said that the region was anticipated to evolve over the forecast period while 90 per cent of subscriptions and were expected to be for mobile broadband by 2024.

    According to her, the driving force behind the shift include a young and growing population with increasing digital skills as well as more affordable smart phones.

    Wahby said that in the Middle East and North Africa, significant 5G subscription volumes were expected in 2021 and in Sub-Saharan Africa in 2022.

    She noted that in the Middle East and Africa, the total mobile data traffic was expected to grow nine times during forecast period which was 2024, representing the highest rate globally.

    “Smartphone subscriptions are projected to double, increasing penetration from 45 per cent to 70 per cent.

    “In 2024, total monthly mobile data traffic is projected to 17 Exabyte, ” Wahby said.

  • MTN, Ericsson launch first 5G customer trial

    Ericsson have partnered to launch the first 5G customer trial deployment in South Africa.

    The trial will begin with the deployment of a 5G fixed-wireless access site at Netstar’s headquarters in Midrand.

    “The field deployment in Midrand, situated between Johannesburg and Tshwane (Pretoria), is part of Ericsson’s continuing efforts to deliver end-to-end 5G capabilities to support MTN South Africa’s growth as well as 5G and enterprise ambitions,” MTN said.

    The 5G solution deployed operates on the 28GHz band with a total operating bandwidth of 100 MHz, using Ericsson trial antenna integrated radio units and Intel’s 5G Mobile Trial Platform to provide a 5G access point in the Netstar premises.

    Netstar employees can connect to this 5G network through a number of different WiFi access points. MTN said that following this field deployment, it is also planning to test other 5G consumer use cases.

    MTN South Africa CTIO Giovanni Chiarelli said the company has been working with Ercisson on 5G for lab tests, field trials and now customer tests.

    “Our aim is to build a network to cater for current and future required services,” Chiarelli said.

    He added that the current discussion regarding the imminent release of much-needed additional spectrum, should also include 5G spectrum in the primary 3.5 GHz band.

    “Access to 5G spectrum will see our nation able to actively participate on the cutting edge of the digital economy and we cannot afford to fall behind the 4th Industrial Revolution,” Chiarelli said.

  • Ericsson, Qualcomm demo 5G data call over 39GHz spectrum band

    Ericsson and Qualcomm Technologies have further demonstrated that 5G technology is ready by conducting over-the-air non-standalone (NSA) 5G NR lab data call with a mobile form factor device on 39 GHz mmWave band.

    The landmark downlink data call was completed at the Ericsson Lab in Kista, Sweden, on September 6, and adds a new millimeter wave (mmWave) band to those ready for commercial deployment.

    This multivendor Interoperability Development Testing (IoDT) represents an important milestone for first-mover operators looking to offer 5G services to consumers. Access to new high-frequency bands is one of the key 5G components in providing very high data rates and ultra-low latency.

    The demo was a 5G NR call on a smartphone mobile form factor mobile test device and is compliant with the 3GPP Rel-15 specifications. The over-the-air (OTA) call was performed using mmWave on 39GHz band on NSA mode.

    The lab demonstration used Ericsson’s commercially available 5G hardware – including its 5G NR radio AIR5331 and baseband products – together with a mobile test device integrated with the Qualcomm Snapdragon X50 5G modem and an RF subsystem.

    Fredrik Jejdling, Executive Vice President and Head of Business Area Networks, Ericsson, says: “Today’s data call milestone with Qualcomm Technologies shows the importance of building the 5G ecosystem. We’re also making headway on commercial 5G by performing interoperability tests on new mmWave bands, giving our customers wider deployment options and the consumers, faster speeds.”

    Cristiano Amon, President, Qualcomm Incorporated, says: “Mobilizing mmWave for the smartphone has been seen by many as an impossible challenge, but this demonstration validates that we are on track to bring groundbreaking 5G mmWave experiences to consumers. Hype for 5G has never been more prevalent, but this demonstration validates that groundbreaking 5G is real, and that it is just around the corner. This successful lab call is a testament to our continued innovation and collaboration with Ericsson, and we look forward to further industry-leading milestones with them as we progress to 5G commercialization of networks and mobile devices in early 2019.”

    The lab data call is a continuation of the IODT announced in December 2017 when Ericsson and Qualcomm, along with several operators, demonstrated a multi-vendor interoperability connection compliant with the NSA 5G NR global 3GPP standard. The live demo showcased both sub-6 GHz and mmWave end-to-end 5G NR systems.

    The 3GPP approved the completion of the standalone (SA) 5G NR standard in June while the non-standalone (NSA) 5G NR standard was approved in December 2017.

  • Ericsson sees one billion 5G subscriptions

    Ericsson sees one billion 5G subscriptions

    Ericsson has said there will be one billion 5G subscriptions for enhanced mobile broadband by 2023. This prediction is among the key statistics presented in the November edition of the Ericsson Mobility Report.

    Expected to be deployed first in dense urban areas, 5G will cover over 20 per cent of the world’s population by the end of 2023. The first commercial networks based on 5G New Radio (NR) are expected to go live in 2019, with major deployments from 2020. Early 5G deployments are foreseen in several markets, including the United States (U.S), South Korea, Japan and China.

    Global mobile data traffic to surpass 100 Exabytes per month in 2023

    Mobile data traffic is expected to surge by eight times during the forecast period, reaching 110 Exabytes per month by 2023. This corresponds to 5.5 million years of HD video streaming.

    All regions maintain mobile data traffic growth, with North America showing the highest average usage per smartphone, exceeding 7GB per month by the end of 2017.

    Video consumption continues to fuel mobile broadband traffic growth. The driving force behind video’s uptrend are the young millennials – those in the 15 to 24 age bracket – who stream 2.5X more than those over 45 years of age.

    Streaming video in higher resolutions and an emerging trend of increased streaming of immersive video formats, such as 360-degree video, will have an impact on data traffic consumption volumes. For example, a YouTube 360-degree video uses 4 to 5 times as much bandwidth as a normal YouTube video of the same perceived quality.

    By the end of this year, LTE will be the dominant mobile access technology. It is estimated to reach 5.5 billion subscriptions and cover more than 85 per cent of the world’s population by the end of 2023.

    Voice over LTE (VoLTE) has been launched in more than 125 networks in over 60 countries across all regions. VoLTE subscriptions are projected to reach 5.5 billion by the end of 2023, accounting for more than 80 per cent of the combined LTE and 5G subscriptions.

    Smartwatches are one of the latest devices to use VoLTE. Users are able to make voice calls directly on their smartwatch, without having a smartphone nearby (multi-SIM). Calls can also be transferred between a user’s smartphone and watch.

    Chief Strategy Officer and Head of Technology and Emerging Business, Ericsson, Niklas Heuveldop, said: “The latest report highlights trends in mobile subscription and data traffic growth, as well as the industry’s effort to tackle the increasing demands on mobile networks globally. In addition, the report examines the emergence of new use cases as network capabilities evolve – smartwatches, IoT alarms, and augmented reality-assisted maintenance and repair, to name a few. As we prepare for 5G, these trends will continue to set the agenda for the mobile industry going forward.”