By Funmilola Gboteku
Lagos – Ericsson says it has been selected by O2 UK to deploy its 5G radio access network (RAN) further across the country, upgrading existing 2G/3G/4G sites as part of the substantial network modernisation programme.
Ericsson made the disclosure in a statement on Wednesday.
It said that following the launch of O2’s 5G commercial network in October 2019, the extended partnership with Ericsson included hardware, software and service upgrades in the West of the UK, bringing greater coverage, voice and data capacity.
Brendan O’Reilly, Chief Technical Officer at O2 was quoted as saying: “We are pleased to be moving forward with Ericsson as one of our primary vendors for our 5G rollout.
According to him, telecommunications has never been more important in keeping the country connected and the company looks forward to bringing the enhanced capabilities of 5G to its customers.
He said that leading products and solutions from the Ericsson Radio System portfolio would be used in the deployment.
This he said include new multiband and wide-band 5G radios to build sustainable sites in preparation for future increases in 5G coverage.
O`Reily said an innovation cluster would also be developed as a collaboration platform to evaluate and test future mobile architecture, technology as O2 builds further towards the potential for network migration to 5G Standalone (SA) architecture.
He said that Ericsson would continue to support O2 with the rollout of commercial 5G in other cities, towns and locations in England, Scotland, Wales and Northern Ireland.
O’Reilly said it would enhance mobile broadband services and increased connectivity to millions of UK subscribers.
Arun Bansal, President of Europe and Latin America, Ericsson, said: “5G will be crucial for the UK’s economic recovery and underpin its digital future.
Bansal said that they were committed to ensuring that the UK achieves its gigabit connectivity targets so that enterprises and society at large benefit from high quality connectivity.
“We are delighted to be continuing our long-term partnership with O2 with this 5G network evolution.
“Ericsson is proud to expand its world-class 5G coverage, leading the modernisation of UK networks as a reliable partner for years to come.
“Together with all of our customers, we are focused on delivering more capacity and connectivity, especially as networks are more critical than ever,” Bansal said.
NAN reports that O2 UK is a telecommunications services provider in the United Kingdom, owned by Telefónica, headquartered in Slough, England (NAN)
