O2 Slovakia picks Ericsson as 5G RAN partner

Ericsson has been selected by O2 Slovakia as its sole 5G radio access network (RAN) technology solutions vendor. As part of the contract, Ericsson will also modernize the communications service provider’s 2G, 3G and 4G RAN infrastructures with products and solutions from the Ericsson Radio System portfolio.

The contract follows a multi-vendor trial which took place across the service provider’s 5G pilot networks in Bratislava in late 2020. In the same period, O2 Slovakia successfully acquired spectrum in key 5G 700MHz, 900MHz and 1800MHz frequency ranges.

Ericsson’s 5G RAN technologies, from the Ericsson Radio System portfolio, will enable O2 Slovakia to deliver improved mobile broadband (MBB) and enhanced mobile broadband (eMBB) customer experiences, as well as support new, high-capacity Fixed Wireless Access business cases such as consumer TV services.

The digital transformstion technology will empower new services and use cases for industries and society.

Ericsson’s energy-efficient portfolio will also enable O2 Slovakia to decrease power consumption across its networks, while delivering the forecasted four-fold rise in smartphone data traffic by 2026, estimted in the Ericsson Mobility Report.

Jenny Lindqvist, Head of Northern and Central Europe, Ericsson, says: ”We are very pleased to have been selected as O2 Slovakia’s technology partner for its commercial 5G rollout. 5G is a transformative platform that will have a major impact on Slovakia’s post-COVID economic revival. In addition to delivering on this promise, our Ericsson Radio System will also help O2 Slovakia meet its sustainability targets to reduce power consumption and contribute to continued decarbonization within the ICT industry and across other sectors. To do that by 2022, we are committed to make our 5G product portfolio 10x more energy efficient than 4G per transferred data, helping break the energy curve in mobile networks.”

Igor Tóth, CEO, O2 Slovakia, says: “Through this contract, we will drive next-generation mobile experiences for our customers meeting the growing demands of data traffic and enabling new services, such as superior connectivity for households with Fixed Wireless Access. In addition to rolling out 5G, modernization of the 2G, 3G, 4G network with Ericsson’s leading products and solutions, will deliver major benefits in energy efficiency enabling us to build a more sustainable digital future for Slovakia.”

According to a recent Analysys Mason report, 5G use cases are forecast to generate EUR 771million in net benefits for the Slovakian GDP across smart rural, smart production, smart urban, and smart public service sectors.

With the O2 Slovakia deal, Ericsson now has 137 commercial 5G agreements and contracts with unique operators, of which 78 are publicly announced 5G deals, including 85 live 5G networks on five continents.