Ericsson (NASDAQ: ERIC)
and its partner Proptivity have rolled out the world’s first neutral host-led
shared indoor 5G radio access network (RAN) powered by the Radio Dot System in
a central Stockholm property housing a flagship shopping mall and office
tenants.
With
this indoor 5G connectivity, visitors and employees can now enjoy download
speeds of up to 1.2 Gbps anywhere in the building, even during peak hours.
Shopping
malls are busy public spaces that pose connectivity challenges, like ensuring
all end users in the indoor space receive the same quality of service,
regardless of their communications service provider. This is where the
strategic partnership between Ericsson and Proptivity comes in, enabling a
neutral host-led indoor 5G network that delivers multi-operator, multi-vendor
mobile solutions for high-performing indoor networks with lower cost per
gigabyte than legacy solutions.
David
Hammarwall, Head of Product Area Networks, Ericsson, says: “This milestone with Proptivity using Ericsson’s indoor 5G network
solution marks a shift towards a new business model in the indoor space, with
neutral hosts and enterprises increasingly taking the helm when it comes to
indoor 5G deployments. This development underlines the growing demand for
high-performing indoor 5G inside, as well as outdoors.”
The
easy-to-deploy indoor 5G small cell solution – Ericsson’s Radio Dot System – minimizes disruption to building infrastructure and
operations with fast, IT-like installation and compact components. Key products
include the Indoor Radio Unit 8848 and Radio Dot 4453. The shareable solution
is also highly energy-efficient, lowering power consumption and equipment
footprint by up to 70 and 80 percent respectively, both important criteria for
property owners, compared to legacy distributed antenna systems (DAS).
Owned
and managed by building owner Fastpartner, the solution is now live at their
premier property in Östermalmstorg, in central Stockholm. This equips retail
tenants like Åhlens with the capacity they need to provide shoppers with a
superior, seamless mobile experience while supporting the growing demand for
data that future 5G use cases, such as augmented reality shopping,
require.
Mikael
Lundman, CEO of Proptivity, says: “Fastpartner aims to deliver superior digital
experiences to their tenants and is a clear frontrunner in the real estate
market when it comes to indoor connectivity. Together with Ericsson, we’ve
developed an indoor 5G solution that meets their requirements for a
future-proof network infrastructure that can be leveraged by all mobile
operators to provide tenants with an amazing 5G experience, regardless of what
mobile operator the current or future tenants are using.”
Christopher
Johansson, Deputy CEO of Fastpartner, says: “We
see 5G as a key innovation platform for our tenants and for our own continued
digitalization. It will likely create many opportunities that we cannot even
see today. We have chosen to work with Proptivity as they offer a strong 5G
solution together with Ericsson that meets our needs from a technical
perspective, as well as a simple business model that we believe in.”
Ayad
Al Saffar, CEO of Åhlens, says: “Åhlens
wants to be in the forefront of shopping, online as well as physically. Our
customers already expect to use their phones when in our stores, and we see
many future opportunities to increase both customer engagement and sales by
making phones a more integral part of a successful purchase experience. We
welcome all 3 Sweden users to visit Åhlens in our property on Östermalmstorg 1,
Stockholm, to experience a true indoor 5G service, and hopefully customers with
other operators in the future, too.”
By
connecting to the indoor network, service providers can also easily extend
their footprint without additional capital investments. Local operator, 3
Sweden, is the first service provider to connect to the shared indoor 5G
network.
Haval
van Drumpt, CEO of 3 Sweden, says: “We’re
very excited to be the first operator to connect to this pioneering indoor
network. By embracing innovative business models and high-performing solutions
that enable network sharing, like the Ericsson Radio Dot System, the telecoms
industry can provide commercial buildings with high-capacity indoor 5G more
easily and ramp up Sweden’s digitalization faster.”
Other
tenants and companies based in the building will also benefit from the
high-performing indoor 5G network. Enterprise tenants can provide customers and
staff with seamless, secure connectivity without the need for Wi-Fi logins.
Offices can also poise themselves to support future workplace connectivity
needs, for example, high-speed internet for 5G laptops.