Ericsson announced a major 5G contract with Reliance Jio Infocomm (Jio) to roll out 5G Standalone (SA) in the country.
This is the first partnership between Jio and Ericsson for radio access network deployment in the country. Reliance Jio has also selected Nokia for the 5G contract.
Reliance purchased airwaves worth $11 billion in a $19 billion 5G spectrum auction in August and had launched 5G services in select cities. It is also working with Alphabet Inc’s Google to launch a budget 5G smartphone.
Reliance Jio is planning to raise an additional $1.5 billion via external commercial borrowings to fund its 5G capital expenditure plans, Economic Times report said.
Jio, the number one telecom operator in India with its all-India 4G presence, has used network from Samsung for its 4G business. Jio has more than 420 million 4G customers on its mobile network.
Akash Ambani, Chairman of Reliance Jio, said: “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.”
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 SA are expected to drive innovation and build a robust 5G ecosystem and deliver advanced services.
Ericsson’s energy-efficient 5G Radio Access Network (RAN) products and solutions (from the Ericsson Radio System portfolio) and E-band microwave mobile transport solutions will be deployed in the 5G network for Jio.
All products and solutions are deployed on new-build 5G SA networks, designed to maximize the benefits of 5G to CSPs and their customers – whether individual subscribers or enterprise and industry customers.
Borje Ekholm, President and CEO, Ericsson, said: “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.”
Ericsson recently topped the Frost Radar: Global 5G Network Infrastructure Market ranking for second year in a row. Ericsson was also named a Leader in the 2022 Magic Quadrant for 5G Network Infrastructure for Communications Service Providers report by Gartner.
The company 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.
