Evolution to 5G: Vodafone UK Taps Ericsson to evolve London network

Vodafone UK has selected Ericsson to evolve its 4G networks in London and southern England using technologies such as Massive MIMO and Carrier Aggregation, which will help deliver improved capacity and end-user performance.

Massive MIMO technology utilizes advanced antenna arrays to improve the quality of radio signals and capacity, while Carrier Aggregation combines different cellular frequencies to increase capacity and user data rates.

The scope of the agreement includes technology trials, product validation and commercial deployment, as well as professional services.

Jorge Fernandes, Technology Director, Vodafone UK, says: “We are continually enhancing our network to optimize performance and give our customers the best possible experience. We will continue to expand our 4G network and develop greater capabilities for our customers. We look forward to continuing to work with Ericsson in order to achieve our goals.”

Arun Bansal, Head of Europe and Latin America, Ericsson, says: “We are working with Vodafone UK to evolve its 4G network and test new 5G technologies. Together we will enable ubiquitous connectivity for their users that enable entirely new experiences, as well as monitoring and control of IoT in real time.”

Ericsson and Vodafone have also signed a memorandum of understanding that will cover the following areas of collaboration:

•4G evolution, 5G radio non-standalone and standalone;
•5G site deployment scenarios;
•NR simulations: 3.5 GHz and mmWave;
•5G use-cases: business case study and proof of concept;
•distributed cloud and network slicing proof of concept: end-to-end latency and cloud- optimized network applications;
•collaboration with King’s College London; and
•5G innovation: Technology Incubation Programme.