Ericsson opens up Spectrum Sharing software for quick 5G launch

In an announcement, globally-acclaimed communications solution provider, Ericsson has said that its unique dynamic spectrum sharing solution is now commercially available. This allows communications service providers to quickly and cost-effectively launch 5G on a nationwide scale.

It is believed that Ericsson Spectrum Sharing software can run on any of the five million 5G-ready radios Ericsson has delivered since 2015. Ericsson has been collaborating with ecosystem chipset partners including Qualcomm Technologies Inc., a subsidiary of Qualcomm Incorporated, on advancing dynamic spectrum sharing using mobile devices powered by Qualcomm Snapdragon 865 and 765 Mobile Platforms with Snapdragon 5G Modem-RF Systems, as well as MediaTek (Dimensity 1000) and key device makers like Oppo, Sony, Xiaomi, LG, vivo and WNC (Wistron NeWeb Corp.) to scale the solution globally.

Ericsson Spectrum Sharing allows both 4G and 5G to be deployed in the same band and on the same radio through a software upgrade - dynamically allocating spectrum based on user demand on a 1-millisecond basis. Ericsson says that its spectrum sharing is the most economically feasible way to deploy 5G on existing bands – enabling wide 5G coverage from day one – making more efficient use of spectrum and delivering superior user performance.

Fredrik Jejdling, Executive Vice President and Head of Networks, Ericsson, says: “For the first time, our customers do not have to re-farm spectrum before deploying a new ‘G’ and can quickly get 5G on the same footprint as they have with 4G today. In the next 12 months, more than 80 percent of the commercial 5G networks we support will use our spectrum sharing solution to achieve broad 5G coverage.”

Julian Bright, Senior Analyst, Ovum/Omdia, commented, “Spectrum is a scarce and costly resource that should be used efficiently. Ericsson Spectrum Sharing will mean that service providers can rapidly roll out 5G on their FDD bands without the need to re-invest. It means they can use both their new and existing bands for 5G high-speed, high-capacity services. Dynamically allocating spectrum between 4G and 5G is going to be the best way to start deploying 5G.”