Ericsson partners with Jio to build India's 5G standalone network

NEW DELHI: Ericsson on Monday announced that it has entered into a long-term strategic 5G contract with Indian telecom service provider Reliance Jio Infocomm (Jio) to roll out 5G standalone in the country. A statement by Ericsson on Monday said that this is the first partnershipbetween Jio and Ericsson for radio access network deployment in the country.

The announcement follows the allocation of 5G spectrum in the recently concluded auctions in India. "We are delighted to partner with Ericsson for Jio's 5G SA rollout. Jio transformed the digital landscape in India with the launch of LTE services in 2016.

We are confident that Jio's 5G network will accelerate India's digitalization and will serve as the foundation for achieving our nation's 'Digital India' vision," said Akash Ambani, Chairman of Reliance Jio. Jio's standalone 5G network deployment represents a major technology leap since it modernizes the network infrastructure to deliver a truly transformative 5G experience to consumers and enterprises.

The capabilities of 5G standalone are expected to drive innovation and build a robust new-age ecosystem and deliver advanced services. Ericsson's energy-efficient 5G Radio Access Network (RAN) products and solutions from Ericsson Radio System and E-band microwave mobile transport solution will be deployed in the 5G network for Jio.