Ericsson continues partnership with O2 following 5G launch last year
O2 and Ericsson are teaming up for a network modernisation program across the west of the UK.
The program will see Ericsson deploy its 5G Radio Access Network (RAN) to upgrade existing 2G/3G/4G sites across cities including Manchester, Liverpool and Cardiff. The upgrades will bring increased coverage, voice and data capacity.
Ericsson’s Radio System product portfolio will constitute the equipment used in the deployment, including new multiband and wide-band 5G radios.
The upgrade marks an extension of Ericsson’s partnership with O2, after it helped it launch its 5G network with Nokia last year. O2’s 5G network is now live across parts of 60 UK towns and cities.
Ericsson will continue to work with O2 on the rollout of commercial 5G in new locations across the UK.
In its most recent financial results, O2 increased its customer base across its total connections (including MVNOs) by 6.3 per cent year-on-year, while revenue climbed 1.5 per cent.
“5G will be crucial for the UK’s economic recovery and underpin its digital future,” said Ericsson’s president of Europe and Latin America Arun Bansal. “We are comitted to ensuring that the UK achieves its gigabit connectivity targets so that enterprises and society at large benefit from high quality connectivity.”
Bansal had previously called on the UK to treat 5G as “critical national infrastructure”.
