Ericsson delivers U.S. manufactured 5G base station to Verizon

Verizon is the first recipient of a U.S. manufactured commercial 5G base station from Ericsson’s new state-of-the-art smart factory in Texas.

The equipment is the first 5G base station produced by Ericsson in the U.S. and marks another significant milestone as Ericsson continues to strengthen its U.S. capabilities in 5G research, design, manufacturing and service delivery.

“Ericsson’s smart factory is a cornerstone of our collaboration as we work together to bring 5G to our consumer, enterprise and public safety customers,” said Kyle Malady, Chief Technology Officer of Verizon. “Together these types of innovation will accelerate our 5G deployments, as we expand our 5G leadership in technology and continue to rapidly build the ecosystem with our partners.”

The 5G base station delivered to Verizon is the millimeter-wave Street Macro solution, which is key to Ericsson’s 5G portfolio for its North American customers. All radio access components are housed in one lightweight enclosure, allowing for the rapid growth of 5G coverage in complex city environments.

Fredrik Jejdling, Executive Vice President and Head of Networks, Ericsson, says: “As the most advanced platform for innovation, 5G will enable a transformation across enterprises –as we’re now experiencing in our own smart factories. Automation and remote operations have become more important, and we’re working with our customers to make them available for the benefit of industries. From producing the first 5G base stations at our 5G USA Smart Factory earlier this year, we’ve made our first commercial delivery to Verizon. That’s just the beginning.”

The delivery, captured in this short video, was made in adherence with The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention guidelines for social distancing due to COVID-19, ensuring the exchange was contract-free.

The 300,000 sq. ft. factory, the first of its kind in the U.S., began commercial operations in March and will be fully operational by the end of the year. It produces 5G and Advanced Antenna System radios to boost network capacity, and the facility itself is outfitted with fast and secure 5G connectivity to enable agile operations and flexible production.

5G’s low latency, speed and high bandwidth helps to create the factory of the future, enhancing capabilities like machine learning, augmented reality and virtual reality (AR/VR). Factories powered by 5G dramatically impact data collection, allowing for real-time monitoring of inventory, maintenance needs, higher flexibility and shorter lead times for factory floor production reconfiguration, layout changes and other alterations.

This domestic manufacturing factory is a critical component of Ericsson’s global supply strategy, bringing manufacturing capabilities to the U.S. as the company works to meet the demand for 5G deployment by bringing the supply chain closer to customers.