Ericsson unveils 5G small cell solution

Ericsson has unveiled a new small cell solution designed to meet the indoor mobile broadband performance requirements that will be demanded by 5G.

The new 5G Radio Dot small cell radio will support the new 5G mid-bands between 3-GHz and 6-GHz, delivering speeds of up to 2Gbps.

The new solution is also deigned to support emerging 5G industrial applications such as connected factories, connected hospitals and connected mining operations.

Operators will be able to deploy 5G Radio Dot next to 4G solutions using the same cabling infrastructure, architecture and locations as existing 4G Radio Dot deployments. Radio Dot systems are used in many large buildings including office blocks, shopping malls, hospitals and airports.

“Now that first 5G standards are here, vendors are going to need multiple radio solutions to help operators roll out their new 5G networks. Ericsson takes an important initial step in this direction by adding indoor small cell 5G solutions to its already existing outdoor 5G RAN portfolio,” Ovum practice leader Daryl Schoolar commented.

“This new indoor solution from Ericsson is going to be attractive for operators wanting to offer enterprises good indoor performance for enhanced mobile broadband and new industrial applications that can’t be met by Wi-Fi or 5G base stations deployed outdoors.”

Ericsson head of network infrastructure Nishant Batra commented that adding small cell solutions to its 5G portfolio is a natural part of the evolution to 5G.

“Enterprises have been asking for first-rate connectivity indoors, as well as higher speeds and capacity to serve advanced use cases that cannot be addressed by traditional indoor systems. Our 5G portfolio, bolstered by small cells, will enable operators to meet these demands,” he said.

The 5G Radio Dot will undergo trials in late 2018 and will be commercially available in 2019.