Ericsson Regional Connect | Issue 7 – Spring/Summer 2023

Featured articles

Ericsson Mobility Report Business

Review edition: The road from opportunity to revenue

In the money: Five steps to winning wireless government funding

Breaking the Energy Curve: A three-step approach to achieving energy efficiency while scaling 5G

Ericsson’s

Customers and partners, Welcome to the Spring 2023 issue of “Regional Connect Magazine!”

We’re fresh from CCA’s Mobile Carriers Show in Pittsburgh, where I had the pleasure of meeting so many of you. It’s been barely 15 months since I joined our Regional Carriers community, and I continue to be impressed with your energy levels and scope of activities. 5G and fixed wireless access both continue to gather speed in all corners of the country, and the FCC Rip and Replace Program is in full execution. I am honored to work side by side as your partner, helping you better serve your communities with broadband and wireless services.

I hope you enjoy this issue of the magazine, which includes the following highlights and more.

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Catch the recap of Ericsson’s presence at Mobile World Congress (MWC) Barcelona, where more than 7,000 people explored the Ericsson Experience—a soccer field-sized education space featuring 37 different demonstrations. Plus, get to know Bluesky Communications, a regional carrier in American Samoa, in this issue’s company spotlight.

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Discover five steps you can take now to increase your chances of securing government funding for your upcoming wireless modernization projects. Also, learn why energy consumption in mobile networks is an important issue, and how Ericsson’s Breaking the Energy Curve framework makes it possible for a mobile network to be planned, built and operated in a sustainable and cost-effective way—while extending the reach and benefits of 5G.

Serve

See how Cellular One helped raise $40,000 to support the work of Missing & Murdered Diné Relatives (MMDR) and the National Indigenous Women’s Resource Center (NIWRC) through sales of The Healing Blanket. In addition, meet the winners of the newly established Ericsson Award of Excellence Scholarships, which support the college and career goals of outstanding Girl Scouts in Western Washington.

Eric Boudriau Head of Customer Unit Regional Carriers, Ericsson North America

purpose and vision imagine the possibilities of limitless connectivity

The future is looking better and brighter than ever, and our purpose and vision reflect the emerging opportunities we’re poised to take on. Check out this video to see how we’re continuing to make the unimaginable possible with support from our valued partners.

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Meet the expert

In this issue of Regional Connect Magazine, we sat down with Hani Bhimji, Ericsson North America’s Head of Operations, Customer Unit Regional Carriers, to learn about his lifelong passion for telecom and what excites him about the future.

Tell us about your journey in the industry and what brought you to this point.

I entered the telecom industry right out of college. In the late 90s, I joined AT&T. My roles at AT&T were primarily, at least initially, around building wired broadband networks. That was way back when conditioning copper evolved into fiberbased networks. And in the last decade or so, I’ve been primarily building wireless networks. That was something I was really passionate about since early in my career— not just building the network, which has its own rewards and challenges. But also, what gets me up and excited every morning is seeing the neat and fun ways in which people are using the networks.

What excites you the most about what’s happening now with 5G?

5G is going to open a lot of doors, particularly for our regional carriers. They cover many portions of America where there is a digital divide. And 5G is one of our opportunities to close that [divide].

To work in the tech industry, you used to have to live in certain big cities because the infrastructure was there. Since the pandemic, many companies—including tech companies—are more open to remote and hybrid working. That creates an opportunity: Some of the most beautiful places in the country are areas primarily served by regional carriers, and now suddenly, those are viable places for people to live and work and enjoy quality of life.

The only remaining barrier is to make sure they have the right connectivity to do their jobs. So, I’m excited about 5G being one of the catalysts, whether it’s fixed wireless access or just solid traditional networks, enabling more of that demographic move.

To hear more from Hani, including a former hobby of his that tends to surprise people, watch the video.

Mobile Word Congress 2023

February 27 – March 2 | Barcelona

Exploring future innovations in connectivity, sustainability and more

Mobile World Congress (MWC) Barcelona, held annually in Spain, is the largest and most influential event for the connectivity ecosystem. Tens of thousands of senior executives from the top global companies, international governments and trailblazing tech businesses converge at MWC Barcelona to make decisions, and Ericsson was proud to showcase our newest technologies and innovations in 2023.

MWC Barcelona 2023: By the numbers

88,500 people attended the conference

2,400 sponsors exhibited at the conference

65,580sq ft was dedicated to the Ericsson Experience (or roughly the size of a soccer field)

~7,000 people visited the Ericsson Experience

The Ericsson Experience at MWC Barcelona 2023

The Ericsson Experience area featured 37 different demonstrations to help educate attendees on our solutions in 4 key areas:

Vision and future technologies

Visitors to this area got hands-on experience with experimental 6G prototypes from our research labs. Demos covered secure and resilient 5G systems, sustainability and the top 10 hot consumer trends.

Monetize 5G

This area focused on insights and success stories from early 5G deployments. We shared solutions enabling the exploration of new business models and revenue streams, as well as use cases for consumers, enterprises and society. Demos included 5G service innovation and slicing, fixed wireless access and cloud gaming.

Accelerate networks

In this area, we focused demos on helping service providers think about network modernization with cost effectiveness, and showcased how Ericsson’s AI technology leadership can help in managing network complexity. These demos included networks of the future, AI in network automation and 5G transport.

Transform enterprises

This area showcased the latest and greatest from our enterprise offerings, with demos on Cradlepoint wireless WAN, Vonage solutions and Ericsson Private 5G.

Were you unable to visit the Ericsson Experience in Barcelona?

Join Peter Linder, Head of 5G Thought Leadership for Ericsson North America, as he takes you on virtual tours around select areas of the Ericsson Experience.

• Explore use cases for generating revenue by monetizing 5G

• Learn how Ericsson can help you upgrade to a seamless and secure network

• Discover energy performance solutions that can help you achieve carbon emissions reduction in a cost-effective way

Connecting the residents and businesses of American Samoa

Bluesky Communications is the leading telecommunications and network service provider for mobile, cable TV and internet in the United States Territory of American Samoa. We spoke with Stuart Fong, Chief Technical Officer, to learn more about what makes Bluesky special.

Q: What’s your origin story?

A: In 1996, an Atlanta-based telecommunications engineering company called TWS, Inc. (Telecom Wireless Solutions) bought an available FCC license to build a wireless telephone network in American Samoa. They developed a business plan and found investors to provide financial backing. The following year, owners Dave Lasier and Larry Gattis traveled to American Samoa and hired a local attorney to assist them with all the necessary requirements to open a business in the territory. Cell site leases were secured, equipment was shipped down and installed, and as construction began on the sites, excitement grew in the community. Dozens of new jobs were created to operate the newly formed company, Bluesky Communications, which launched on July 10, 1999, at the old Laufou Shopping Center in Nu’uuli.

Q: What are your company’s core values?

A: Bluesky’s core values are: Customer First, Integrity, Teamwork, Passion, a Positive Attitude, and Smile!

Q: How do they help you serve your community?

A: Since the establishment of the company, Bluesky has always taken pride in being a company of and for the American Samoa community. We have actively promoted and supported cultural, educational, and technological advancement; youth; and many other community programs and initiatives.

Q: What is the primary area you serve? Why did you begin serving this area?

A: There are three island systems that make up the main population centers of American Samoa: Tutuila, Aunu’u and Manu’a. Bluesky has primarily served the islands of Tutuila and Aunu’u due to their concentration of residents and availability of supporting infrastructure. However, we’ve started expanding services to Manu’a and will continue to expand to all areas of American Samoa soon.

Q: Tell us about your community.

A: American Samoa is a U.S. territory located in the South Pacific Ocean, consisting of five main islands and two coral atolls. The population of American Samoa is around 55,000 people.

The people of American Samoa are known for their strong cultural traditions, which are deeply rooted in Polynesian heritage. Strong family and community values are built into the culture, and this translates to an everyday way of life on the island.

Fishing, agriculture and government employment make up the majority of American Samoa’s economy. The tuna canning industry is American Samoa’s largest employer and generates a significant amount of the territory’s exports.

Q: What’s something unique about your company that most people probably don’t know?

A: The base of Bluesky’s logo was originally designed to be crossed “Ava” stems with communication waves emitting from it. The “Ava” plant is used in traditional ceremonies. This later evolved to look like the base of a satellite dish with communication waves emitting from it.

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Breaking the Energy Curve: A three-step approach to achieving energy efficiency while scaling 5G

As the telecom industry evolves to meet the demands of the digital age, service providers face the challenge of managing network traffic, meeting user experience demands and monetizing their 5G investments. How can they address these needs while simultaneously prioritizing energy efficiency, producing cost savings and contributing to the global effort to reduce carbon emissions?

The importance of energy consumption in mobile networks

As the demand for mobile traffic keeps increasing, network capacity must also grow, leading to a subsequent rise in energy consumption. With energy bills accounting for 20-40% of operating expenses, operators face significant pressure to reduce energy consumption. Additionally, a considerable portion of operators have committed to net-zero targets by 2050 or earlier. Therefore, the effective management of mobile network energy consumption is crucial for higher capacity networks to be cost effective and sustainable.

Ericsson’s Breaking the Energy Curve framework demonstrates how a mobile network can be planned, built and operated with precision to be more energy-efficient, sustainable and cost effective—while extending the reach and benefits of 5G. The approach has been streamlined into three core elements.

1. Evolve to a sustainable network

Embrace a holistic vision for network planning and operation. It’s critical to have a long-term investment horizon in mind and plan for network evolution considering both business and sustainability targets. For instance, if sites have the potential for

an increase in traffic load to support fixed wireless access (FWA) in the future, they can be deployed with Massive MIMO radios that deliver data volume more efficiently and take advantage of government programs (e.g., Broadband Equity Access and Deployment [BEAD]), where the aim is to maximize the success of the USD 42 billion investment in closing the digital divide.

Meanwhile, operators can immediately reduce energy consumption by activating energy-saving software on their current install base. By using radio software features like Micro Sleep Tx, cell sleep mode, MIMO sleep, and deep sleep, significant energy savings can be achieved, with power consumption reduced by up to 97 percent in low or no traffic scenarios. Sites that carry low traffic volumes, such as rural sites, can leverage these sleep mode software features even more to enable significant energy savings while still delivering a very good user experience.

2. Expand and modernize

Modernize existing network while scaling up 5G. The key to reducing energy consumption is to speed up the migration from legacy technologies to 5G and modernize the network with the latest, most energy-efficient hardware. The radio access

by Sashieka Seneviratne Director of Sustainability, Networks, Ericsson

network (RAN) accounts for 75 percent of the network’s energy usage, so leveraging more efficient 5G hardware can lead to energy savings from better utilization of radio spectrum and enabling more efficient energy-saving algorithms. Upgrading existing 4G sites to 5G has the potential to realize increases of up to 10 times in capacity and to reduce energy consumption by more than 30 percent, offering the possibility to grow revenue and reduce OPEX while addressing sustainability.

3. Operate intelligently

Leverage artificial intelligence, machine learning and automation to boost energy savings. By implementing customized energy-saving actions based on traffic utilization predictions, operators can reduce costs with minimum network KPI impacts while maintaining a good user experience.

The bottom line

The key to solving the energy dilemma in mobile networks lies in migrating to 5G and leveraging software, hardware and energy orchestration solutions to optimize for energy while maintaining the user experience. By prioritizing sustainability and energy efficiency, mobile networks can evolve benefitting both the business and the environment.

In the money: Five steps to winning wireless government funding

by Brooke Coleman Senior Manager of Business Development, Widelity, Inc. “Regional Connect Magazine” guest writer

For broadband providers in the US, there are currently many initiatives in place offering significant government funding for wireless projects that fill service gaps and help move all Americans toward a better broadband experience.

In actively going after those dollars, however, you’ll find that keeping track of specific fund qualifications, important application deadlines and program updates is easier said than done. The numerous moving, often changing parts that comprise these opportunities can present ongoing and difficult challenges capable of marring your best efforts in crossing the funding finish line. Timing is a big part of achieving success. Toward that end, know that some programs have already allocated funds to states and territories and created Federal Communications Commission (FCC) maps that identify specific areas of need. These programs are gearing up and will allow you to submit project bid applications in late 2023, early 2024.

Although some months away, you’ll want to use that time wisely to plan, build and support a winning wireless proposal.

So, if you’re serious about submitting a bid and ready to start navigating the process, we’ve put together some help. It comes in the form of five action steps that will increase your odds of landing in the money.

Step 1: Get with the programs

You’ll want to focus on three different levels of funding—federal, state and county.

While federal programs have basic program goals and requirements in place, flexibility is often provided for individual states and territories to revise objectives and qualifying criteria to serve specific regional preferences.

Consequently, it’s important for you to know that a program’s specific rules and regulations as well as the awarding and distribution of funds will be largely determined by state/territory administrators.

There are two major federal programs you should be aware of: the BEAD (Broadband, Equity, Access and Deployment) Program and the 5G Fund.

Make BEAD, with more than USD 40 billion for allocation to all US states and territories, your main focus, as currently, the 5G Fund’s USD 9 billion total has been placed on hold for 18 to 24 months by the FCC.

At the state level, you’ll want to consider the Capital Projects Fund, which will distribute USD 10 billion among the 50 states.

You should also look into programs that are emerging out of COVID funds for the American Rescue Plan. A large amount of funding is represented here, but it isn’t

exclusively meant for broadband. Counties can also choose to spend these dollars on sewer or water projects.

Step 2: Learn the requirements

It’s essential to start familiarizing yourself with program goals and requirements.

For the BEAD Program, which mandates the completion of all projects by 2028, each state receives USD 100 million, and each territory is given USD 25 million. After that distribution, any remaining funds are divided on an as-needed basis.

One broad federal goal is for all unserved and underserved locations to be connected using these government dollars. Unserved and underserved communities might include tribal, rural and extreme poverty areas. From a broadband speed perspective, unserved areas are speeds below 25Mbps download and 3Mbps upload. Underserved constitutes anything below 100Mbps for downloads and 20Mbps for uploads.

The minimum broadband speeds you must achieve are 100Mbps for downloads and 20Mbps for uploads. On the aspirational side, you’ll want to aim for both download and upload speeds of 100Mbps.

Keep in mind, too, that government, by and large, will more likely fund your project if it is committed to long-term sustainability.

You can stay on top of the process by educating yourself on BEAD Program requirements and working solutions into your application as you go. Other requirements to be aware of include low latency for real-time interactivity, outages averaging less than 48 hours per year, reliable service for every broadband customer and at least one lowcost service option.

Step 3: Self-advocate

By June 30 of this year, finalized FCC maps will be used to make state funding announcements for the BEAD Program. After that, your window to apply will arrive all too soon—as early as late 2023.

So, now is the time for you to selfadvocate by registering with your local broadband office and start interacting with the people handling BEAD and other programs for your state or territory.

A smart move is to position yourself and wireless as positive answers to the ongoing communications needs that your community currently has and will need in the future. In doing so, you’ll emphasize the special value of wireless in serving areas that are too inaccessible, sparsely

populated and/or prohibitively expensive for installing fiber.

This is also a time for you to conduct research, gather documentation and consult with firms like Ericsson or Widelity that can provide telecommunications and government funding expertise.

Step 4: Build your narrative and apply

First and foremost, you need to understand the award format a program is using and then align your content with it. This is critical to building a successful application narrative.

The two award formats to know about are competitive grant and reverse auction. A competitive grant places high value on the quality of components and system performance, while reverse auction tends to prioritize cost over other considerations. With a reverse auction, the lowest cost bid typically gets the award.

Conversely, for a competitive grant, you will want to emphasize scalability, capability, capacity and the ability to upgrade in the future.

Regardless of the awards format, you can expect a government funding program to require a 25 percent match. This means your company will have to provide at least a quarter of the overall cost.

Step 5: Go to “Making Waves” and the Digital Asset Library for more support

For more detailed information on government funding opportunities and the steps to qualify, watch the webinar, Making Waves: Government Funding for Wireless. This is a joint presentation from Widelity and Ericsson that originally aired in December 2022.

You’ll find many valuable tools, tips and insights, such as a link to state broadband offices and key contacts. You’ll also have access to mapping resources, including a new FCC map identifying unserved and underserved areas.

In addition, visit Widelity’s Digital Asset Library (DAL) to learn everything about broadband programs in your state(s) and stay informed on program rules and state application requirements.

The wireless government funding process is moving quickly and happening now, so if you’re serious about submitting, don’t delay taking action. Check out the webinar and DAL today to get started.

Ericsson Mobility Report Business Review edition: The road from opportunity to revenue

In this new report, we have analyzed several current trends within our industry and explored ways in which service providers are turning 5G opportunities into revenues. We can see early indications of revenue growth in advanced 5G markets with extensive coverage buildout and differentiated service offerings.

The report shares key insights into consumer and enterprise market segments. 5G opportunities covered for the consumer business range from fixed wireless access to cloud gaming, and for the enterprise business we elaborate on private networks, Wireless WAN and API exposure in 5G networks.

Key findings from the report

• 5G is driving service provider revenue growth in the 20 top markets. These areas have shown a significant, consistent boost in performance following the introduction of 5G.

• Fixed wireless access (FWA) represents a big opportunity for regional carriers to help connect rural communities.

• Service provider revenues from FWA worldwide are projected to grow by a CAGR of 16 percent between 2022 and 2028, to USD 67 billion.

• There are clear 5G opportunities in the USD 2.4 billion cloud gaming market.

• Connectivity is the starting point for all enterprise services as new opportunities within private networks, wireless wide area network (WWAN) and communications platform as a service (CPaaS) emerge.

• For mobile service packaging, speed tiers represent a step toward a quality- and valueoriented pricing focus.

• Based on 4G experience, it is likely that user devices with new form factors supporting 5G will soon start to appear at scale, making it possible for service providers to monetize 5G in new ways.

• Harmonizing the exposure of APIs in 5G networks together with other service providers will attract developers to innovate at scale.

• Using a network operator as a managed service provider (MSP) is rapidly becoming the desired networking business model for enterprises that want to streamline their IT operations.

10 hot consumer trends for life in a climateimpacted future

leading

and obstacles, but how will

going forward?

We asked 15,145 urban early adopters of AR, VR and digital assistants aged 15 to 69 in 30 major cities around the globe to imagine living in a warmer 2030s world. For this future scenario, we then asked them to evaluate 15 digital service concept areas ranging from climate-related adaptation efforts for everyday life to ways to handle dire weather events.

Here are the top 10 trends we discovered.

1. Cost cutters – Digital services will help consumers control food, energy and travel costs in a world facing an unstable climate situation.

2. Unbroken connections – Reliable and resilient internet connection will become more important with increasing occurrences of extreme weather events.

3. No-rush mobility – Strict time schedules may become a thing of the past as climate regulations and energy efficiency change the meaning of everyday flexibility.

4. S(AI)fe keepers – AI will power services that protect consumers during increasingly unpredictable and unstable weather.

5. New working climate – Corporate carbon footprint constraints, rising costs and accelerated digitalization will shape work routines of the future.

6. Smart water – Consumers anticipate smarter water services to conserve and reuse water due to the possibility of freshwater scarcity.

7. The enerconomy – Digital energy-sharing services may alleviate the burden of rising energy costs in the 2030s.

8. Less is more digital – Digital product replacements may become status markers as physical overconsumption may become expensive and socially unacceptable.

9. Natureverse – Experiencing nature in urban areas without traveling could be standard in the 2030s, in the face of continued climate change and potential travel limitations.

10. Climate cheaters – Consumers believe they will find ways to bypass inconveniences or higher prices due to stricter environmental restrictions or rationing of energy and water.

For an in-depth look at each of these trends, view the full report.

76% of consumers believe there will be mobile subscriptions offering backup connectivity in the 2030s.*

81% of consumers believe AI weather warning services will exist in the 2030s.*

A warmer world may bring systemic change on a global scale in everything from food production to energy supply,

to new challenges for societies. Today, connected digital tools help us handle countless daily chores

these services evolve

Ask the experts

In these “Ask the experts” discussions, Dee Dee Pare, Senior Marketing Manager for WAN Edge, Cradlepoint; Colin Bowdery, Chief Architect for Indoor RAN Solutions; and Pierre Boulos, Customer Solutions Sales Director for Customer Unit Regional Carriers, answer questions about rapid service enablement, indoor connectivity solutions and services at the network edge.

Dee Dee Pare Senior Marketing Manager, WAN Edge, Cradlepoint, part

Q: How can Cradlepoint help me with rapid service enablement for my customers?

A: Wireless carrier customers are choosing fixed wireless access (FWA) due to the reliability, agility and security this mode of connection provides. This explosive opportunity is demonstrated by the recent statistic in the November 2022 Ericsson Mobility Report that predicted there will be more than 100 million FWA connections by the end of 2023, and the forecast will nearly triple by 2028.1

Carriers are discovering FWA as a way to help round out their offerings to business customers while still using the same 5G and LTE infrastructure that is serving mobile customers. FWA has been especially useful for fixed locations when wired connections are unavailable or provide insufficient performance—even in congested urban locations. Cradlepoint business customers use exclusively wireless WAN networks especially when it isn’t cost effective or timely to install a wired connection, such as temporary pop-up networks, events or construction trailers. Other fixed location customers have benefitted from the unlimited data plans and redundant router deployments to make it reliable and cost effective to standardize on one nationwide wireless offering versus stringing together wired broadband from multiple ISPs.

FWA is also beneficial to IoT customers. Often sensors and IoT equipment like kiosks need connections far away from wired connections. Additionally, many indoor IoT deployments benefit from processing applications closer to where data is collected and require wireless WAN routers with container capabilities and interoperability with Amazon Web Services and Microsoft Azure. The key to successful service offerings starts by identifying top use cases in the service area and building programs that bundle the right data plans with enterpriseclass capabilities and the right wireless WAN partner like Cradlepoint.

Colin Bowdery Chief Architect, Indoor RAN Solutions, Ericsson

Q: What indoor connectivity solutions does Ericsson have for small/ medium enterprises (SME) in locations smaller than 50,000sq ft?

A: The latest technologies, such as Ericsson’s Radio DOT System (RDS), have been bringing advanced cellular capabilities to SMEs in larger buildings for many years. However, these same solutions have not been able to costeffectively serve small buildings, leaving them largely dependent on WiFi as their connectivity solution. This disparity in connectivity presents a real challenge to the strategic competitive position of SMEs verses their larger peers in the 5G era.

To bridge this disparity, Ericsson recently announced the Indoor Fusion Unit. This solution cost-effectively combines the products used in larger Ericsson RDS deployments in a single box with the capability of connecting up to four Radio DOTs. It brings the same capabilities and modern technologies previously enjoyed in larger buildings to smaller buildings. SMEs in this category can now exploit 5G in their diverse business operations, enabling them to compete with larger peers. In addition to this, SMEs can also benefit from the many other Ericsson solutions ranging from routers, power solutions and private 5G, to outdoor RAN and core products.

For more information on the Indoor Fusion Unit, check out this article on indoor 5G with better capacity and scalability

Pierre Boulos Customer Solutions Sales Director, Customer Unit Regional Carriers, Ericsson

Q: What new capabilities are needed for services at the network edge?

A: Bringing computing resources closer to where data is generated and used, rather than sending everything to centralized data centers, opens the possibility for new services.

Services envisioned at the network edge include localized applications in venues, video streaming, telemedicine and many more. Enabling these services at the edge requires several capabilities: low-latency network, local breakout, edge computing, content delivery networks, edge security, endto-end quality of service, location of devices and users to the application and application discovery.

A low-latency wireless network is necessary for edge applications, which can only be available with 5G networks. Local breakout allows for localizing access to the application or network and enables edge computing capabilities. Edge computing provides computing resources to host services and applications in locations closer to end users. Content delivery networks can reduce latency and improve performance by caching content closer to end users. Edge security is critical for protecting sensitive data and applications from attacks and breaches. End-to-end quality of service enables applications to have or request on-demand quality of service characteristics for data exchanged to/ from users. The location of devices and users to the application is valuable for providing services tailored to the specific context of the user and the device. Application discovery is needed by devices to discover and use the closest application instances.

of Ericsson

Serve

Building character with the Girl Scouts of Western Washington

The Girl Scouts of Western Washington’s mission is to build youth of courage, confidence and character who make the world a better place. Headquartered in Seattle, they serve youth and adult volunteers across 17 counties in Washington State. As part of Ericsson’s ongoing partnership with the Girl Scouts of America, we supported several initiatives for the organization’s Western Washington council in 2022. Here are a few highlights.

5G and IoT event

In October 2022, Ericsson hosted more than 20 Girl Scouts at our Bellevue office for an engaging workshop on 5G and IoT. The Girl Scouts learned about the history of Ericsson, 5G and its advantages and IoT technology from Ericsson volunteers and subject matter experts. The event ended with a fun-filled scavenger hunt. Each Girl Scout who attended received the Ericsson 5G-IoT patch and some company swag. This was a valuable opportunity to show STEM in action and demonstrate female leadership and empowerment in science, technology, engineering and math.

Gold Award scholarships

The Gold Award is the highest achievement within Girl Scouts, earned by Senior and Ambassador Girl Scouts in high school. Only 5.4 percent of eligible Girl Scouts successfully earn the Gold Award, and many who do go on to pursue a career in the STEM industries. In 2022, Ericsson funded two Ericsson Award of Excellence Scholarships. Girl Scout recipients of these prestigious scholarships receive funds for their freshman and sophomore years in college. They are paired with an Ericsson mentor throughout their college experience and have an opportunity to apply for an Ericsson internship.

Congratulations to the 2022 Ericsson Award of Excellence Scholarship recipients, Chris McCarty and Bella BeSerra!

• Chris’ project, Quit Clicking Kids, targeted the exploitation of children on social media. As part of Chris’ initiative, a bill was introduced to the Washington State House of Representatives.

• Bella’s project, Gold Garden, created a community garden with 15 raised beds growing vegetables for those facing food insecurity.

Cellular One helps raise money and comfort grieving Navajo families with The Healing Blanket

The Healing Blanket, a very special artist edition commissioned by Cellular One and Pendleton Woolen Mills, recently raised USD 40,000 to support the work of Missing & Murdered Diné Relatives (MMDR) and the National Indigenous Women’s Resource Center (NIWRC). Both MMDR and NIWRC strive to raise awareness and work toward solutions that address the disproportionately high rates of missing and murdered Indigenous persons.

Created by Diné artisan Leandra Yazzie, The Healing Blanket’s design brings a powerful message of resilience and hope. The blanket was launched to the public on the Pendleton website just before the holidays last year, retailing for USD 329. Within 10 days, it was sold out—making it the fastest sell-through in Pendleton history. MMDR and the NIWRC each received a USD 20,000 donation as a result.

At a special ceremony held at The Navajo Nation Museum in late November,

30 families of victims were gifted a blanket from Cellular One and Pendleton. Honorable Tribal Council Delegate Amber Kanazbah Crotty, a founder of MMDR, emceed the event with the help of cofounders Meskee Yatsayte and Jolene Holgate. As they walked onto the stage, families were wrapped in their blankets by Tribal leaders, and each family was given the opportunity to share memories of their lost loved one.

“Seeing and hearing from the families who have experienced the loss of a

family member who was murdered or is still missing was incredibly emotional ,” said Judd Hinkle, CEO of Cellular One. “The stories that were shared brought many tears for all of us and stressed the importance of supporting committed grassroots organizations like MMDR.”

The Healing Blanket will be available for purchase again on pendleton-usa.com this summer.

“We are proud to work alongside forward-thinking Tribal leadership to increase access to mobile voice and broadband across Tribal lands. This results in safer communities by making communication for everyone, including law enforcement, faster and more reliable.”

Judd Hinkle, CEO, Cellular One

Why Ericsson?

146+ years of enabling communication

104,931 employees2 180+ Operates in 180+ countries

60,000+ patents

29,499 R&D employees1

145 live 5G networks globally3

About Ericsson Regional Connect

Regional carriers are unique enterprises. They are an integral part of the communities they serve as much as they are businesses seeking growth and sustainability. The Ericsson Regional Connect program was born out of Ericsson’s recognition that regional carriers across the US are united by these common values—and by common challenges: Values we share and challenges our global solutions are perfectly suited to meet.

With an array of live and virtual events, online forums and tools, Ericsson Regional Connect comprises a unique community that brings regional carriers together in an unprecedented way:

Connect—Ericsson Regional Connect facilitates a wide range of opportunities for professionals in the industry to meet and partner with their peers.

About Ericsson

Share—Regional carriers will have access to Ericsson’s global technological leadership and expertise. And they will have a forum for sharing knowledge, ideas and best practices with one another.

Serve—Apply what you gain from Ericsson Regional Connect to better serve your customers, connect the unconnected and give back to your communities.

We invite you to explore what Ericsson Regional Connect can do for you— and what you can do for others. Visit the Regional Connect website

Ericsson enables communications service providers to capture the full value of connectivity. The company’s portfolio spans the following business areas: Networks, Cloud Software and Services, Enterprise Wireless Solutions, Global Communications Platform, and Technologies and New Businesses. It is designed to help our customers go digital, increase efficiency and find new revenue streams. Ericsson’s innovation investments have delivered the benefits of mobility and mobile broadband to billions of people globally. Ericsson stock is listed on Nasdaq Stockholm and on Nasdaq New York.

The content of this document is subject to revision without notice due to continued progress in methodology, design and manufacturing. Ericsson shall have no liability for any error or damage of any kind resulting from the use of this document.

© Ericsson 2023