Ericsson launches new private 5G platformEricsson launches new private 5G platform

Swedish kit maker Ericsson has unveiled Private 5G to support LTE and 5G SA private networks to tap the opportunities in the enterprise cellular market.

In a press release the company said the new platform will be able to optimise and simplify business operations with cloud-based network management, but also keep sensitive data on-premises. It promises zero downtime upgrades and guarantees SLA-based high performance. The primary sectors the new solution targets include manufacturing, mining and process industry, offshore and power utilities, as well as ports and airports.

“With Ericsson Private 5G, we take the best of Ericsson’s current portfolio and top it up with the best of our new technology,” said Thomas Noren, Ericsson’s Head of Dedicated Networks (meaning private networks in Ericsson parlance). “We do this to give businesses what they need to improve productivity, enable new offerings and give employees a better working environment.”

Ericsson has been more successful selling through service providers, even in the private cellular market. It is not going to alienate its main customer group with the new private network solution. “With Ericsson Private 5G, we also give operators a better way to serve business customers and leverage their assets – in short, to grow beyond mobile broadband,” Ericsson’s Thomas Noren hastened to add.

In comparison, its Nordic competitor has been bolder in collaborating with enterprises directly, in other words, bypassing telecom operators in the enterprise cellular market when necessary. This has come both with the Alcatel-Lucent heritage that Nokia has taken over, and out of the recognition that private networks represent a much bigger opportunity in 5G era than before. This is particularly true in markets like Germany and Japan, where spectrums are made available and licenses awarded for enterprises and other institutions to rollout their private 5G networks.

But this doesn’t mean Ericsson has shied away from this segment until now. To strengthen its offerings in “dedicated networks” (and a global IoT platform) was the key driver behind Ericsson’s $1.1 billion acquisition of Cradlepoint, an American market leader in wireless edge WAN 4G and 5G enterprise solutions. In April the company announced a 4G (and also “5G-ready”) private network with Airbus, with no mention of any role played by any telecom operators.