Ericsson and Swisscom Extend Indoor 5G Reach to 10 km with Fiber Technology

Ericsson and Swisscom Extend Indoor 5G Reach to 10 km with Fiber Technology

(IN BRIEF) Ericsson and Swisscom have successfully deployed the fiber-extended reach feature of the Radio Dot System, enabling high-capacity indoor 5G coverage within a 10 km radius from a centralized location. By using fiber and hybrid fiber cables, Swisscom can power and transmit data to active indoor antennas, extending the cable reach from 300 m to 10 km. This new feature enhances deployment flexibility, allowing remote placement of equipment and reducing the total cost of ownership. The first deployment took place in a Swisscom store near Bern, Switzerland, showcasing the significant reach and capabilities of the fiber-based solution. Swisscom can now offer seamless and secure indoor 5G connectivity to small-to-medium enterprise customers, enhancing the mobile experience for both customers and employees.

(PRESS RELEASE) STOCKHOLM, 4-Jul-2023 — /EuropaWire/ — In the latest chapter of their 5G story, leading European communications service provider Swisscom and Ericsson have deployed a new feature that allows them to deliver high-capacity indoor 5G to enterprise customers within a 10 km radius, from one centralized location.

The new feature complements Ericsson’s indoor 5G offering – the Ericsson Radio Dot System. It enables Swisscom to use fiber and hybrid fiber cables to deliver power and data to active indoor antennas (Radio Dots) from the Indoor Radio Unit (IRU) and extend cable reach from 300 m to 10 km.

The extended cable reach that comes with fiber-based rollouts supports more flexible deployment options, including remote IRU placement in instances where it may be difficult or expensive to keep equipment locally on premises. This increases solution scalability across different venues and deployment use cases. It allows Swisscom to serve more venues with high-capacity indoor 5G faster with up to 80 percent less equipment needed on premises and less service effort – reducing total cost of ownership.

Mark Düsener, Head of Mobile Networks, Mobile Services & B2B Telco, Swisscom, says: “High-performing indoor 5G is key to full scale societal digitalization, and Ericsson’s new indoor fiber capabilities boost the capacity and coverage of Swisscom’s leading 5G network. With more flexible in-building deployment options, we can provide more small-to-medium enterprise customers with fast and reliable mobile connectivity, with less equipment.”

Nils Andersson, Head of Indoor, Ericsson, says: “Swisscom has been a true frontrunner in the 5G market, indoors as well as outdoors. With this latest addition to their toolbox, they can continue to expand their 5G footprint while reducing total cost of ownership and increasing operational efficiency. It’s always exciting to help our customers tap into the opportunities that the small-to-medium enterprise market presents.”

The first fiber deployment was made in a Swisscom store near Bern, Switzerland. A Radio Dot was connected to a shared IRU hundreds of meters away in a central office using existing fiber infrastructure.

Typically, CAT6a cables are used for indoor 5G deployments. However, when using fiber connectivity instead, the reach of the cables increases almost 40 times, from 300 m (around three football fields in length) to 10 km (almost 110 football fields).

Swisscom can now deliver seamless, speedy, and secure indoor 5G more easily to small-to-medium enterprise customers such as retail stores, offices, event spaces and restaurants. In turn, this high-performing indoor solution enables them to offer a better mobile experience to customers and employees.

Up to eight small-to-medium venues can be served from one remote unit. This new fiber-extended reach offering is compatible with both single operator and multi-operator (neutral host) indoor solutions.

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SOURCE: ERICSSON