How is 5G bringing a paradigm shift in technology, is Ericsson ready to cash-in on the opportunity? | Expert's take

With the advent of 5G technology and its continuous expansion, consumers are witnessing significantly greater speeds and reduced latency in comparison to previous generations of mobile technology. In fact, the 5G revolution will ramp up the adoption of new applications and services that require high levels of connectivity, such as the Internet of Things (IoT), Metaverse technologies, etc and will offer a more seamless and immersive experience for users.

In this context, below is an interview with Ericsson’s MD, India & Head of Networks, Southeast Asia, Oceania and India, Nitin Bansal, on how 5G is expected to be the key to innovation in tomorrow’s future.

How can private networks help Indian enterprises?

Enterprises in India are undergoing unprecedented digital transformation and kickstarting their journey towards Industry 4.0 which requires a high-performance communications foundation that is reliable and secure. Private networks are preferred to power digital transformation by connecting devices, industrial sites, and augmenting workers. They support a diverse set of Industry 4.0 use cases, such as Real Time Location systems (RTLS)/ asset tracking, inventory management, building automation, robotics, etc.

Considering the long-term benefits, private networks will help enterprises achieve better scalability, quality, efficiencies, etc., thus making business operations more robust and agile. In fact, frontrunner service providers across the globe are already helping enterprises achieve operational flexibility, efficiency, reliability, and so on.

What are some use cases of private networks for enterprises?

In India, industries like healthcare, manufacturing, energy, and utilities, automotive, education, and public safety will be the early adopters of 5G technology.

The initial use case for a private 5G network in any geography will be to achieve operational flexibility, efficiency, reliability, and so on. For instance, the manufacturing sector may look to 5G to include solution features like smart manufacturing and robotic process automation for efficiency, flexibility, and quality. To increase operational efficiencies, the transportation and logistics industry is considering adopting autonomous mobile robots (AMRs) that can manoeuvre around a manufacturing floor while transporting, tracking, and inspecting goods and parts. The mining industry is looking into collaborative robots that will assist operators with activities like drilling, assembling, and inspection as well as asset condition monitoring.

What are some of your global deployment experiences?

Ericsson has established a global 5G leadership with 147 live 5G networks across 63 countries. With this, we have been an integral part of deploying private networks for complex and industrial operating environments in industries including aviation, manufacturing, mining, ports, energy, utilities, etc.

For instance, Telia has built a dedicated local 5G-ready mobile network for mining company Boliden at Aitik, the world’s most efficient open-pit copper mine located in the north of Sweden. Telefónica, Ericsson and Mercedes-Benz are building the world’s first 5G mobile network for automobile production in Germany. Ericsson’s very own factory in the USA is a 5G smart factory. It is a full-scale operation realizing the potential of 5G with Industry 4.0 to enable intelligent automation and leverage real-time data across operations.

Ericsson Private 5G (EP5G) offering is a next-generation, private network, tailored to drive Industry 4.0, the modernisation and digitalisation of infrastructures and business process operations. In India, we have set up a 5G lab with Capgemini in Mumbai where the 5G (standalone) EP5G solution has been deployed. It is enabling industry innovation, experimentation, and deployment of 5G and Edge technologies for clients across industries.

How ready are Indian enterprises to deploy 5G networks?

We are seeing a growing interest amongst Indian enterprises in adopting 5G technology for modernising their legacy systems which will in return spur new innovations, operational efficiencies, and growth. The Omdia survey commissioned by Ericsson last year revealed that Indian enterprises believe 5G will be the key enabler of their digital transformation and have a major impact on their business processes and goals. 52% of the total 316 enterprises surveyed said they want to start using 5G in the next 12 months.

Indian enterprises have already started working on building their 5G infrastructure. Recently, Bharti Airtel showcased two industrial-grade use cases using a trial spectrum for quality improvement and operational efficiency at the Bosch manufacturing facility. In both the use-cases, 5G technology such as eMBB and ultra-low latency communication drove automated operations ensuring faster scale-up and reduced downtimes.

How is Ericsson enabling CSPs to tap into this opportunity?

The Ericsson 5G platform encompasses the complete Ericsson Radio System including 5G access and 5G transport, Ericsson Cloud Core and cloud communication, network management and orchestration, digital BSS, and the complete Ericsson Services with all the network services and the Ericsson Operations Engine. Ericsson’s 5G open platform enables service providers to accelerate their deployments for a faster introduction of innovative new services to their customers.

We have been continuously developing the right partnerships for exploring ways to tap into new revenue streams for CSPs. We have been collaborating with leading service providers worldwide, more than 40 universities and technology institutes and 30 industry partners. We worked on use cases in numerous industries in Europe, Asia as well as in Northern America.

As per Ericsson’s “5G for Business – a 2030 market compass” study, it is estimated that the global addressable industry digitalisation market for service providers could grow up to about $700 billion by the end of 2030. The projected value of 5G-enabled digitalisation revenues in India is approximately $17 billion.

Globally we have seen 5G enables significant value for enterprises, with private 5G networks and wireless wide area networks being deployed for enterprise and industrial use. As per the Ericsson Mobility Report Business Review edition, Communications Service Providers in the Top 20 5G markets enjoying revenue growth with cloud gaming, enterprise and industrial deployments gaining momentum. 5G connectivity and edge computing are fundamental to enterprise transformation programs already underway and to the related use cases for digitalisation, automation and worker augmentation.

We also acquired Cradlepoint, the US-based market leader in Wireless WAN Edge 4G and 5G solutions for the enterprise market. The investment is key to Ericsson’s ongoing strategy of capturing market share in the rapidly expanding 5G enterprise space. By leveraging the combined offering, we will be able to create valuable new revenue streams for our customers by supporting 5G-enabled services for enterprises and boosting returns on investments in the network.