MWC 2023: Ericsson plans new indoor solutions

Ericsson has expanded its indoor mobile connectivity portfolio with three new cost-efficient solutions aimed at delivering 5G coverage.
5G indoor coverageAbout 80 percent of mobile data is generated through indoor use. However, relatively minimal floor space in buildings – estimated by Ericsson at 10 to 15 percent – is currently served by indoor 5G connectivity.

The new solutions are part of the Ericsson Radio Dot System portfolio. The new indoor solutions will be available in the second half of 2023.

Ericsson’s additions to its indoor 5G portfolio – comprising of two hardware products and a software solution – are aimed at meeting customers’ simplicity and monetization goals through a scalable solution suitable for any indoor environment or situation.

The IRU 8850 indoor radio unit is suited for medium-to-large venue coverage. It delivers up to four times the capacity of its predecessors, enhancing network performance and user experience in medium to large venues. It is up to 70 percent more energy-efficient compared to active DAS technology.

The Ericsson Indoor Fusion Unit combines radio and baseband functionalities into one unit, making it easy and quick to deploy.

Ericsson’s software feature for indoor networks called Ericsson 5G Precise Positioning provides location services for a range of uses cases that CSPs and enterprises can use, like asset tracking and tool positioning, in environments such as factories, mines, hospitals, warehouses, and other industrial private network applications, as well as in emergency response scenarios.

“The new Radio Dot System equipment and location services software further increase the flexibility of Ericsson’s indoor portfolio. Scalable and cost-efficient, the expanded portfolio offers a one-stop-shop to accelerate indoor 5G rollouts globally, spreading the benefits of premium indoor connectivity,” David Hammarwall, Head of Product Area Networks, Ericsson, said.

IRU 8850 (Indoor Radio Unit) can serve up to eight venues from one centralized location, with a 10km fiber reach. It supports both purpose-built and Cloud RAN architectures. It is cost-effective: compared to current alternatives it offers up to 80 percent reduction in physical equipment space; and up to 50 percent lower total cost of ownership (TCO) thanks to network sharing.

Ericsson Indoor Fusion Unit is a compact plug-and-play indoor 5G solution aimed at small and medium-sized buildings such as coffee shops, chain stores, branch offices, movie theatres, and restaurants. It can connect up to four Radio Dots with multi-Gbps per Dot. It creates new business opportunities for service providers by adding 5G connectivity for smaller enterprises and branch locations.

Ericsson 5G Precise Positioning software enables enterprise use cases and advanced 5G monetization thanks to its unmatched mobile 3D positioning precision of <1m for any 5G device indoors. Only a mobile connection is needed (no sensors) and it is fully integrated with the existing network. The new software feature is also part of Ericsson’s Private 5G Networks offering to enable enterprises to easily deploy a 5G network.

Mark McDiarmid, Senior Vice President of Radio Network Engineering and Development with T-Mobile US, says: “New solutions like the Ericsson Indoor Fusion Unit will enable us to quickly scale and deliver 5G to our customers with high-performing networks indoors, enabling incredible new use cases and opportunities.”

Kellie Lakamp, Chief Executive Office, Totem, says: “Working with Ericsson and their Radio Dot System portfolio has enabled us to bring high-capacity, high performance connectivity to employees, tenants and visitors.”