Ericsson and Telefónica sign a global agreement for the development of 5G technologies

This agreement will pay special attention to Advanced 5G network Infrastructure for future public-private partnership and the European Technology Platform for Communications Networks and Services.

Ericsson y Telefónica have signed a global collaboration for the development of 5G technologies, products and services. The two companies will jointly support the current and new initiatives that are being carried out and that will promote the development of 5G technologies and the business environment in which they can evolve, with special focus on the 5G PPP and ETP Networld 2020 programs, promoted by the European Commission in the Horizon 2020 program.

The collaboration between both companies has already begun. An example of this is the recent creation of the first 5G excellence laboratory by Telefónica (through its innovation unit: Telefónica R&D) and the IMDEA Networks Institute in Spain. The laboratory, 5TONIC, aims to create an open ecosystem for innovation and research. Ericsson is the first manufacturer to join this initiative as part of its 5G for Europe program.

Ulf Ewaldsson, CTO of Ericsson, states that "5G is constantly evolving and the transition will be gradual, since the deployment of commercial and complete 5G systems is not expected until 2020. To achieve that goal, investment in research and development of trials of 5G technologies must continue. We are proud to partner with Telefónica to lead this work."

Enrique Blanco, Global Director of Technology of the Telefónica group, assures that "Telefónica continues to advance in its role as a key player in the development of 5G technologies, in which we have been actively contributing through international projects, industrial associations and standardization organizations. We see the launch of 5G networks not as a one-time event, but as a process that we want to launch from now on. Through this agreement and initiatives such as the 5TONIC laboratory in Spain, we will be able to test and prioritize the network functions and services that will become part of 5G networks in the near future.”

Among the joint initiatives of the companies are research, debate, field tests as well as demonstrations of technology and equipment to support the future final 5G network architecture as well as communication technologies, services and applications. Through this joint work, Ericsson and Telefónica will develop a mutual understanding of use cases, requirements and deployment scenarios for both 5G wireless systems and the core network, based on a virtualized network architecture.

Ericsson is leading and driving 5G standardization work, from exploratory research trials and pre-standardization field tests, through standardization activities, together with international standardization bodies and industry. Thanks to key technological advances such as the Ericsson 5G Radio prototypes, which include advanced antenna designs, multi-user MIMO technologies and beamforming, Ericsson and its customers will be key players in defining the next generation of mobile network technology through to commercialization.