Ericsson — powering India’s 5G future

Ericsson has been an integral part of India’s telecommunications journey since 1903. It has been part of all mobile generations from 2G to 4G

By Nitin Bansal

The telecom industry is the digital backbone of a nation. This was amply demonstrated during the Pandemic. For activities such as working from home, online education, conducting financial transactions.

According to a recent Ericsson Mobility Report for India, average traffic per smartphone has increased to 18.4GB per month in 2021, up from 16.1GB per month in 2020.

Manufacturing

Ericsson has been an integral part of India’s telecommunications journey since 1903. It has been part of all mobile generations from 2G to 4G and is now ready for 5G. Ericsson was the first telecom equipment company to start manufacturing in India in 1994. Since then, we have been delivering made-in-India telecom equipment to our partners in the country along with exports to other countries.

Ericsson’s Consumer Lab study predicts at least 40 million smartphone users in India could take up 5G in the first year of 5G.

Ericsson’s state-of-the-art manufacturing facility located in Pune was set up in 2016 aligned with the Government of India’s ‘Make in India’ vision. We have participated in the government’s PLI scheme for the telecom sector through our partner Jabil.

Being the first telecom vendor to start manufacturing in India, the additional investments made under the PLI scheme will help us scale up our Pune facilities where we are currently manufacturing 4G and 5G telecom equipment. The 5G radios produced at our Pune facility are being exported from India at present and will enable us to cater to the domestic market when 5G is introduced in India.

Ericsson has its largest employee workforce located in India working across functions ranging from design, R&D, manufacturing to sales & service, networks, to managed services.

India - a global innovation hub for Ericsson

India is a strategic market for Ericsson and has consistently ranked amongst the top five contributors to Ericsson’s global sales. To harness opportunities in technologies such as AI/ ML, Ericsson has set up three Global Artificial Intelligence (AI) Accelerator centers across the globe — one of them is based out of Bengaluru. The innovation center leverages cutting-edge AI and Automation technologies to create data-driven, intelligent, and robust systems for automation, evolution, and growth in the 5G era.

Further, we have set up a 5G lab with Capgemini in Mumbai where the 5G (standalone) Industry Connect solution has been deployed. This collaboration will enable industry innovation, experimentation, and deployment of 5G and Edge technologies for clients across industries.

Mobile technology serves as the connectivity foundation for the digital transformation (DT) of any industry. 5G will enable the creation of new revenue streams for operators. It will also unlock the next level of growth for the country.

5G is already transforming consumer experiences and kickstarting the 4th Industrial Revolution. India can learn from these experiences. Ericsson’s “5G for Business – a 2030 market compass” study, estimates that the global industry digitalization market for service providers could grow up to about $700 billion by 2030.

The projected value of 5G-enabled revenues for Indian service providers is approximately $17 billion in the same period.

5G in India

There is high interest in 5G from Indian consumers. Consumers are willing to pay a premium for 5G plans and premium services bundled with it.

Ericsson’s Consumer Lab study states at least 40 million smartphone users in India could take up 5G in the first year of 5G. In fact, Indian users have shown the biggest increase in their intention to upgrade globally. 67% said they want to take up 5G once it is available (up from 53% in 2019). The Nov 2021 edition of Ericsson Mobility Report reveals that 5G will represent around 39 percent of mobile subscriptions in India at the end of 2027, estimated at about 500 million subscriptions.

Being the first telecom vendor to start manufacturing in India, the additional investments made under the PLI scheme will help us scale up our facilities where we are manufacturing 4G and 5G telecom equipment.

Powering India’s 5G future

In India, we have been working with operator partners as well as the academic community to test and develop various 5G use cases which are relevant in the country. Bharti Airtel and Ericsson demonstrated India’s first 5G live network in Hyderabad along with trials in Gurugram and Manesar. This was followed by a demonstration of India’s first 5G rural trial in Bhaipur Bramanan village on the outskirts of Delhi/NCR. Ericsson also partnered with Vodafone Idea Ltd. (VIL) to showcase the power of 5G to reach healthcare to remote parts of the country. The telco also demonstrated blazing speeds of 4 Gbps in November as part of the trial.

Ericsson will continue to work closely with Indian mobile operators for evolution towards 5G and beyond.

Bansal is Managing Director, India Head-Networks, Market Area South East Asia, Oceania and India, Ericsson

feedbackvnd@cybermedia.co.in