Ericsson gets multinational 5G core network win with Telenor

Swedish kit vendor Ericsson has got a nice lot of fresh 5G work from Swedish operator group Telenor.

The win is all about 5G core network transformation, featuring a nice lot of NFV goodness. Since the point of issuing press releases about deal wins is to generate a sense of commercial momentum, this is a pretty handy one for Ericsson as it implies an endorsement of its NFV offerings.

Since this still a relatively new, unfamiliar field, any show of commercial faith at this stage counts double. Furthermore the deal encompasses Telenor’s core networks in Sweden, Denmark and Norway, so in terms of publicity, Ericsson gets three for the price of one.

“Ericsson’s portfolio of VNF enables Telenor to become more agile while reducing costs through improved operations,” said Morten Karlsen Sørby, Telenor’s EVP and Acting Cluster Head for Scandinavia. “This transformational deal is an important step towards future-proofing our core network as we look towards 5G. It provides us with state-of-the-art virtual core applications that serve mobile and fixed access and extend the lifecycle of our legacy network.”

“Ericsson is a long-term partner to Telenor in Scandinavia, supporting the company across multiple engagements in fixed and mobile networks in the region,” said Arun Bansal, Ericsson’s Head of Europe & Latin America. “This deal strengthens that partnership by evolving Telenor’s existing network to the cloud, ensuring continued exceptional services to their customers. As we move together towards 5G it also opens up new opportunities in the IoT space.”

In other Ericsson news, the company has quietly launched a new division called Edge Gravity. As Light Reading reports, it seems to be a semi-autonomous unit within Ericsson that focuses on edge computing and “operates a global edge cloud network that links together a core network of data centers with the last-mile networks of more than 80 partners that include cable operators, telcos and mobile service providers.”