Ericsson has announced a significant expansion of its radio, transport, and antenna portfolio with the introduction of 12 new hardware and software solutions aimed at empowering communications service providers (CSPs) to deploy networks.
Revealed at the company’s pre-Mobile World Congress 2024 event in London, these enhancements are headlined by the flagship product AIR 3255, a Massive MIMO time division duplex (TDD) radio boasting over 25 percent energy savings and a 20 percent lower embodied carbon footprint compared to its predecessor.
The AIR 3255 features cutting-edge small metal filter technology scalable to all TDD sub-6GHz frequency bands, encouraging 5G mid-band deployment. Utilizing the latest generation of Massive MIMO Ericsson Silicon, this radio enhances receiver processing and energy efficiency while incorporating a unique single printed circuit board and passive cooling mechanism.
Marten Lerner, Head of Product Area Networks at Ericsson, emphasized the company’s commitment to technological innovation, sustainability, and openness in maximizing the potential of 5G and beyond.
In addition to the AIR 3255, Ericsson introduces a range of new radios to bolster its comprehensive and sustainable Open RAN-prepared portfolio, including the Triple-band Massive MIMO FDD radio AIR 3284 and the Radio 4823 designed to enhance uplink performance.
Furthermore, the company unveils three software features aimed at optimizing 5G performance, including Uplink Multi-User Massive MIMO FDD and Automated Energy Saver, offering advanced automation for improved energy efficiency and user experience.
Completing the portfolio enhancements are next-generation transport and antenna solutions, including the MINI-LINK 6355 for improved E-band performance and the Antenna 4206 featuring a high-performing structure with significant reductions in carbon footprint and weight.
The announcement has garnered positive feedback from industry leaders, with Luis Uribe from Entel praising the ultralight Massive MIMO AIR 3255 for its sustainability benefits. Iskra Nikolova of Telstra expressed excitement about the new innovations, particularly the Massive MIMO FDD with AIR 3284 and Radio 4823, which enhance network performance and customer experience.
Mark Dusener of Swisscom lauded the Automated Energy Saver functionality for its ability to monitor and manage user experience while reducing energy consumption, while Tomohiro Sekiwa from SoftBank Corp. highlighted the significance of the Uplink-aware Advanced Multi-layer Coordination in optimizing network performance.
Remy Pascal from Omdia praised Ericsson’s commitment to high performance, sustainability, and openness, emphasizing the importance of automation in achieving holistic objectives.
