Ericsson announced extensive enhancements to its radio, transport and antenna portfolio with 12 new hardware and software solutions for communications service providers (CSPs) to deploy in high performing, sustainable and open networks.

Unveiled at the company’s pre-Mobile World Congress 2024 event in London, the portfolio enhancements are led by the flagship product AIR 3255, a massive MIMO time-division duplex (TDD) radio with more than 25 percent energy savings and 20 percent lower embodied carbon footprint* compared to the previous generation radio.

AIR 3255 is equipped with new small metal filter technology that is scalable to all TDD sub-6 GHz frequency bands to incentivize 5G mid-band deployment. This radio is also the first to use the new generation of massive MIMO Ericsson Silicon (System on a Chip) with enhanced receiver processing and improved energy efficiency. In addition, AIR 3255 uses only one printed circuit board that is unique to the industry in terms of building practice, as well as passive cooling.

Mårten Lerner, head of Product Area Networks, Ericsson, said, “At Ericsson we pride ourselves in being at the forefront of technology by creating the best network products in terms of performance, sustainability and openness on the way to maximizing the innovation potential of 5G and beyond. The new solutions that we have unveiled today will fuel the next phase of 5G deployments.”

The following new radios join AIR 3255 in boosting Ericsson’s radio line-up, making it the most comprehensive and sustainable Open RAN-prepared (packet fronthaul-based eCPRI) radio portfolio in the industry. This is in line with Ericsson’s goal to industrialize Open RAN.

• For advancing 5G performance
• Triple-band massive MIMO FDD radio AIR 3284 (32T/32R) providing 2x higher downlink and 4x higher uplink capacity compared to 4T/4R.
• Radio 4823 (4T/8R), boosting uplink performance (2x) with separate remote electrical tilt on the 2.6GHz frequency band to extend coverage or capacity based on the deployment choice.
• AIR 5343 for high-capacity and high-performing Fixed Wireless Access with macro deployment. Up to 1600 MHz total carrier bandwidth and 11 dB extended coverage.
• Ultralight mid-band TDD radios
• Radio 4461HP (high power) with 50 percent more output power and 42 percent lower embodied carbon footprint and Radio 8873 in both standard power and high power variants

Ericsson is also launching three software features:

• Uplink Multi-User massive MIMO FDD with up to four layers in the uplink based on full interference rejection combining advanced receiver to add capacity and speed.
• Uplink-aware Advanced Multi-Layer Coordination –identifies the best cell set for each user, taking into account UE capability, network configuration, service requirements as well as downlink and uplink cell load.
• Automated Energy Saver – the sweet spot between maximized performance and energy efficiency, autonomously executed via an intent defined by the CSP to adjust radio resources and improve energy efficiency while securing the best user experience.

And to complete the portfolio enhancements, Ericsson is introducing next-generation transport and antenna solutions:

• MINI-LINK 6355 – improved E-band performance with next-gen, all-outdoor E-Band node. The 2x output power and 25GE interfaces extend hop-length and capacity in multi-carrier configurations. Added Radio Deep Sleep energy-saving feature for E-band.
• Antenna 4206 – two low-band, four mid-band; 2.1 m based on new antenna structure. Latest Ericsson Antenna System high performing solution with up to 85 percent beam efficiency and 49 percent savings in embodied carbon footprint and 24 percent less weight, using 100 percent thermoplastic radome and lighter build. Fully recyclable.

Luis Uribe, corporate network manager, Entel, said, “We are delighted with Ericsson's new generation ultralight Massive MIMO AIR 3255. This massive MIMO radio fits very well with our sustainability policies and our strategy of energy efficiency and decarbonization in the operation of our network.”

Iskra Nikolova, Telstra executive for network and infrastructure, said, “As long-term partners, Telstra and Ericsson have a history of pushing the envelope of network performance with higher speeds, capacity and coverage, delivering a great 5G experience for our customers. The recently acquired additional mid-band spectrum, deployed with wideband mMIMO TDD, provides significant downlink capacity. However, it relies on a strong FDD uplink addressing traffic growth and enhancing the customer experience when moving throughout the cell. The new innovations delivered through Massive MIMO FDD with AIR 3284 and Radio 4823 bring out the best in our deployed Massive MIMO mid-band TDD. We look forward to seeing the new radios in our network while we continue to enhance our network experience for our customers.”

Mark Düsener, head of Mobile Network, Mobile Products and B2B Telco Swisscom, said, “Sustainability and user experience are paramount objectives for us. With Automated Energy Saver functionality, we have the unique opportunity to both monitor and manage user experience while granting us the ability to boost energy savings with reduced operational complexity through advanced automation.”

Tomohiro Sekiwa, senior vice president & CNO, SoftBank Corp. said, “Securing the best 5G experience for our customers is the cornerstone of our close and long-term collaboration with Ericsson. With Uplink-aware Advanced Multi-layer Coordination, we're taking the next evolutionary step on the advanced 5G standalone traffic steering journey. This involves both downlink and uplink cell load to choose the best cell set for each user to get the maximum network performance. This software innovation addresses the change in user behavior where uplink speed is becoming increasingly crucial to everyday use cases such as photo and video uploads, video interactions as well as for applications such as AR and VR. The new features provide all these while optimizing spectrum use and delighting our customers.”

Rémy Pascal, senior research manager Mobile infrastructure, Omdia, said, “High performance and sustainability are very much associated with Ericsson, and this latest launch will continue to strengthen the company’s strong reputation in those areas and support service providers' evolution towards 5G Advanced. In addition, the recent announcement with AT&T gives more credibility to Ericsson’s commitment to openness. Finally, automation is the fourth pillar that completes the holistic objective of this launch.”