Ericsson-LG Introduces the Smallest and Most Powerful Radio for 5G

Ericsson-LG held a press conference on January 24th with the theme of 'Road to 5G'. Ericsson, which has been a leader in the global communications industry for more than 140 years, has announced major 5G milestones in 2017 to meet the ever-faster and more innovative 5G era.

Demand for emerging new technologies and diverse services is driving big changes across society and industry, and 5G will accelerate these changes and bring additional benefits to both businesses and consumers. Therefore, Ericsson is leading the way in 5G research and development with ecosystem participants around the world, and it is also worth noting that domestic R&D resources are actively involved in 5G software development.

Last year, Ericsson announced the world’s first development of commercial 5G NR technology that supports massive MIMO. At the same time, last year announced a software-based 5G Plug-In that supports the stable introduction of 5G services by applying 5G essential technology to the current cellular network. In addition, a number of wireless system products are in the pipeline to support the core 5G requirements applicable to today's networks.

In addition to the 5G research and development, by conducting extensive partnerships and collaboration with ecosystem participants in various industries, including domestic and overseas major operators, Ericsson has made great strides toward 5G in a variety of industries, such as connected car, remote tactile robotic surgery, connected drone, and so on.

Ericsson defines 2017 as a momentous year for 5G evolution and will continue to demonstrate more concrete and commercial use cases for 5G. At the CES 2017 in Las Vegas earlier this month, Ericsson demonstrated a variety of demos such as 5G-based VRs, drones, wearables and connected car. MWC 2017 in Barcelona at the end of February will once again showcase the world's most advanced 5G technology and solutions around the world.

In 2017, Ericsson will continue strong momentum for 5G standardization in 3GPP, will focus on various development and verification activities throughout 5G technology, and 5G uses cases and new business models. Ericsson is also making a full effort to conduct and to be prepared for 5G pre-commercialization stages such as large-scale sports events ad ecosystem building.

Also, at the conference, the new 5G radio model, which is scheduled to be released in 2017, was first unveiled and attracted attention. It is a solution that supports multi-user MIMO and beamforming, which are core functions for 5G service implementation. It is smaller and more powerful than any other radio equipment that has ever been introduced by Ericsson. The existing LTE radio and antenna functions will be integrated and the miniaturization will further improve the ease of installation and operation.

Patrick Johansson, CEO of Ericsson-LG, said, "As a global leader, we will continue to lead 5G research and development with 600 engineers in Korea. We are also leading the innovation of the ICT industry by actively collaborating with various ecosystem participants. We will continue to provide new value to customers and consumers, present future business models, and provide more agile connectivity based on 5G."