Telstra and Ericsson have collaborated on a four-year partnership to upgrade Telstra’s radio access network (RAN) with Ericsson’s next-generation Open RAN-ready hardware solutions and 5G Advanced software. This transformation will make Telstra the first communications service provider (CSP) in the Asia-Pacific region to offer a high-performing, programmable network with 5G Advanced capabilities. It will also implement artificial intelligence (AI) and automation to optimise network management through self-detection and self-healing capabilities.
The transformation will power Telstra with one of the most advanced, resilient and reliable 5G networks in the world. Telstra’s programmable network will provide a platform for innovative application development and the ability to tailor superior connectivity to the unique requirements of its customers, including new performance-based offerings.
Further, it will open the network to tech innovators from wider ecosystems via network application programming interfaces (APIs). The adoption and acceleration in uptake of network APIs, and how they can drive telecom industry monetisation opportunities, is also the focus of the recently announced global venture, Aduna, of which Ericsson and Telstra are founding members. Telstra’s new 5G Advanced network capabilities will be central to the delivery of such API-based services.
The high-performing capabilities of the 5G Standalone solutions involved are also key to enabling the next-generation use cases and developer innovation that will make Industry 4.0 a reality in Australia.
The new network will maximise Telstra’s spectrum investments and operational efficiency. It aims to double 5G capacity, deliver improved consistency of service, increase depth of coverage, increase uplink and downlink speeds, and reduce energy consumption. In addition, it will enable the transformation of traditional one-size fits all mobile services towards differentiated connectivity, where consumers and enterprises can create their own service experience.
Solutions include Ericsson’s O-RAN-ready Massive MIMO radios and new RAN Compute solutions as well as Ericsson’s latest 5G Advanced subscriptions to deliver new services, drive operational efficiency, and increase performance. The scope also includes Ericsson Intelligent Automation Platform (EIAP), Ericsson’s open network management and automation platform for open, multi-vendor and multi-technology networks, supporting all 4G and 5G RAN.
EIAP will improve network management and automation by leveraging EIAP and developer eco-system tools to create and deploy custom applications (rApps) that employ advanced automation techniques, including machine learning and AI, to optimise the network and deliver improved sustainable operations.
This latest partnership extension builds on Ericsson and Telstra’s long-standing collaboration across radio access networks, core, optical, transport and business support systems. Partners will open their networks to make advanced capabilities easily accessible to millions of developers world-wide, through a global platform for aggregated network APIs. This aim is to drive new use cases across multiple industries and sectors.
Commenting on the collaboration, Vicki Brady, chief executive officer (CEO), Telstra, said, “We are at an inflection point, where customer needs for technology and connectivity are becoming more sophisticated, requiring a step change in how connectivity is delivered and consumed. At the same time, demand for mobile data on our network has tripled over the past five years. Through our partnership with Ericsson, the first-of-its-kind for any operator across Asia-Pacific, we will evolve our offering and improve the efficiency of how we use our spectrum so we can increase our 5G network capacity to deliver better consistency of performance, reliability and speed to millions of customers. With a programmable network we will move from a one-size-fits all proposition, to being able to deliver more sophisticated use cases and commercial models to provide a differentiated and more tailored connectivity experience to customers.”
Meanwhile, Börje Ekholm, president and CEO, Ericsson, said, “High-performing programmable networks are the building blocks to digitalise enterprises and nations. Telstra – a longstanding early adopter partner of Ericsson – is set to enjoy the benefits that Ericsson 5G Standalone connectivity will bring. This faster, more secure, and differentiated connectivity will transform consumer and enterprise experiences and enable developers to use 5G technologies to experiment, innovate, and build game-changing applications. Through this deal, Telstra is also empowering Australians – from single developers to the nation’s largest industries – to play their part in ensuring Australia is competitive on the global stage. We look forward to working closely with Telstra to make that happen.”
