5G Partnership of the Day: Orange and Ericsson

The latest episode on our long-running series ‘5G Partnership of the Day’ sees Orange and Ericsson joining forces to make the world an even lovelier place.

The partnership will allow Orange to deliver 5G proof of concepts, and pilots across Europe from 2017. More specifically wireless multi-gigabit internet access in suburban and rural environments, IoT, ultra large mobile coverage solutions and the move towards autonomous vehicles.

The collaboration will also cover 4G to 5G evolution. You would hope so considering the press release Telecoms.com was sent was entitled ‘Orange and Ericsson partner for 5G’, but who doesn’t appreciate the obvious being pointed out to them?

“Our ambition is to be prepared for a 5G deployment in 2020,” said Alain Maloberti, SVP at Orange Labs Networks. “By joining forces with Ericsson, we will create for our customers a solid network capable of delivering a wide range of services, from greater data speed everywhere to specialized services for cities and industries.”

“The Internet of Things requires network capabilities to a new level,” said Arun Bansal, SVP and Head of Business Unit Network Products at Ericsson. “5G will not only be built for consumers, who need a seamless experience with their phones and connected devices, but also for the digitalization of entire industries and society. Together with Orange we are joining our strengths to help make this a reality.”

While it’s all lovely and heart-warming to see these guys snuggling up on the sofa as we head into the winter months, it does beg the question as to when something is actually going to happen. So far it’s all been flirting, when are they going to seal the deal? It’s business time.