Unlock the potential of BEAD with Fixed Wireless Access (FWA)
Why are indoor networks considered significant in the future of wireless communication?
Ericsson Microwave Outlook 2024: Security, spectrum and microwave planning in focus
Welcome
It’s hard to believe that 2024 is coming to a close. I’m grateful to have had so many opportunities to work with and learn from you over the past year, and I’m excited for what 2025 has in store—for Ericsson, for the telecom industry and for each and every one of your businesses. Thank you for your continued partnership and trust in us, and may you have a happy and healthy holiday season.
Please enjoy this issue of the magazine, which includes the following articles and more.
Relive the highlights of Regional Connect Summit 2024, which took place at our headquarters in Plano, Texas, and featured two jam-packed days of thought leadership sessions, interactive demonstrations and networking opportunities. In “Meet the Expert,” hear why Account Manager Benoit Coulombe loves working with regional carriers and learn his unexpected connection to Trader Joe’s.
Take a deep dive into the future of the wireless backhaul industry in the latest Ericsson Microwave Outlook Report, where you’ll learn about what’s driving backhaul needs and how microwave technology is evolving to meet new requirements. Plus, hear what two Ericsson experts have to say about differentiated connectivity as a service enabler and how regional carriers can bring 5G indoors.
Take a trip to Minnie’s Food Pantry to see how they fight food insecurity in North Texas with a little help from Ericsson volunteers. Also, meet the engineer-turned-farmer behind Footprints Farm, a rural sanctuary where special needs children and their families can learn and play.
Eric Boudriau Head of Customer Unit Regional Customers and HCPs, Ericsson North America
Imagination is the curiosity that drives every pioneer and out-ofthe-box thinker to envision and implement ideas that change the world. Check out this video to see how Ericsson and our partners are using the power of our imagination to unlock new levels of intelligence, connectivity and productivity across the globe.
Benoit Coulombe began his telecom career as a software developer with Ericsson in Montreal in 1990. He tackled numerous other roles in the company over the next 10 years, then left to head operations and service sales at various startups. Today, he is back with Ericsson as the account manager for rip and replace business.
Q: Has working with startups given you a special understanding of working with smaller, more agile organizations?
A: What I really enjoy about the regional carriers group is working with smaller customers. It reminds me of a startup—the speed, the daily interaction with customers. You have to wear multiple hats and be creative, just as they do because they’re very small. I really enjoy that. The main reason I came back to Ericsson is to work in this space.
Q: Tell us about the benefits you see in fixed wireless access and bringing 5G to end users.
A: There are still a lot of underserved areas in the U.S., and fixed wireless with 5G allows us to cover bigger areas with higher throughput. Because fiber can’t go everywhere, there is a limit to the cost. And that’s where fixed wireless comes in—it allows you to cover the underserved areas at a reasonable cost. So, I think there are still a lot of opportunities there.
To hear more from Benoit, including his unexpected connection to Trader Joe’s, watch the video
Regional Connect Summit 2024 Plano, Texas
This year’s summit began with a welcome dinner at Mexican Bar Company on the evening of September 30. Attendees relaxed and mingled in a festive atmosphere while they prepared themselves for the upcoming two days of educational sessions and networking.
The following morning, we officially kicked things off with opening remarks followed by a review of some of the key technology trends expected to impact regional carriers in the future.
Next up, Dr. Christina Chaccour, Network Solutions Manager, and Ayodele Damola, Director of AI/ML Strategy, analyzed the role of AI in telecom. They explained the differences between generative and discriminative AI and discussed how Ericsson has executed AI’s various capabilities across our portfolio of products and services. The presentation was followed by an engaging fireside chat to further explore example use cases of AI in telecom.
The morning concluded with a deep-dive tech session into the evolution of radio technology. Declan Quinn, VP of Account Solutions, delved into the topic from a hardware perspective, touching on everything from Massive MIMO and CBRS radios to mmWave and indoor solutions. Head of Network Products Ranjeet Bhattacharya took on the software perspective, focusing on the rise of 5G standalone (SA) networks and Ericsson’s commitment to an Open RAN architecture.
After lunch, we welcomed John Myhre, Principal at GCI, who shared the story of how GCI modernized their network in Anchorage, Alaska, resulting in 17 consecutive quarters of growth. Attendees took time to explore the Ericsson Innovation Showcase, which featured 10 interactive demonstrations ranging from connected vehicles and cloud gaming to device and network testing. The afternoon’s final few sessions included another tech talk on core evolution, as well an inspiring story from Appalachian Wireless about their journey to 5G core and a compelling look at the Fixed Wireless Access (FWA) opportunity with Ericsson partner Xtreme.
After a nonstop day of sharing and learning, Summit-goers headed to The Puttery for a bit of fun and friendly competition.
Day two began with remarks on the state of telecom in North America from Yossi Cohen, President and CEO, Ericsson North America, followed by important regulatory updates from Jeff Marks, VP of Government and Policy Advocacy. Senior Product Manager Roger Galuban then discussed the rapid growth of in-building solutions, highlighting sample use cases and emphasizing the potential of the Ericsson Radio Dot system to accelerate expansion of the 5G indoor segment.
Differentiated connectivity was the subject of a session by Senior Solutions Manager Tony Bennett, who explained how it will give users, developers and enterprises the optimal level of connectivity at the right time to ensure seamless performance and resource efficiency in the network. Transport Product Solutions Director Kevin Boyle II followed with a presentation on the evolution of the site router, in which he illustrated Ericsson’s holistic approach to transport automation.
Then, David Mehta, Managed Services Delivery Manager, and Kevin O’Brien, Project Manager, demonstrated how the Ericsson Operations Engine unlocks the potential of data-driven operations to improve network availability. This was followed by an exploration of network management evolution with Solutions Architect Karim Mitiche.
After lunch and a presentation by Ericsson partner Somos, Regional Connect Summit 2024 came to a close. We sincerely thank everyone who participated in this year’s event, and we look forward to seeing you all next year.
The Ericsson Microwave Outlook report, published annually, contains the latest trends, developments and insights into the wireless backhaul industry.
Increasing mid- and high-band deployments will continue to drive backhaul needs. As backhaul capacity needs in mobile networks become more diverse, so will demands on backhaul transport networks. Mid-band is expected to have the largest overall impact on the network, as it will be used in all regions and deployment areas.
Opportunities for the coexistence of other radio services in parts of the 6-15 GHz range is a hot topic in backhaul spectrum.
Access to spectrum can be achieved in different ways, but whichever method is pursued, harmonization of the selected frequency bands and technical conditions is key to unlocking economies of scale and providing numerous benefits to consumers and enterprises.
Demands for trust, security and resilience in microwave networks are steadily increasing.
The security of a microwave transport network can be compromised in a multitude of ways. Future security improvements may involve changes in trust boundaries, requiring comprehensive security design and secure communication between internal platform components.
Microwave technology is evolving continuously to meet new requirements. Networks are getting denser, and at the same time, higher capacity and longer hop lengths are continuously pursued. Modernized microwave planning and more efficient spectrum use will be significant in achieving this.
Learn more about microwave networks as a fundamental part of mobile transport.
Download the Ericsson Microwave Outlook report 2024
The importance of indoor networks in wireless communication has surged as 80 percent of mobile traffic has moved indoors. In the Ericsson paper, “Indoor RAN: Shaping the future of in-building communication,” we highlight the need for a paradigm shift toward networks designed with indoor usage at their core—a shift that promises not only to enhance user experiences but also maximize return on spectrum investments for communications service providers (CSPs). Here are a few of the key topics discussed in the paper.
Key topic #1: The ever-evolving landscape of wireless communication through technological innovation
As mobile communications technology has advanced from 1G to 5G, there has always been a need for more spectrum to satisfy the insatiable data consumption that comes with new technologies and the keystone applications accompanying each. From the very first wireless mobile communication device—the car phone—to today’s smartphones and the proliferation of mobile apps, our paper explores trends in user behavior, technology evolution and network deployment strategy to understand how we arrived at the need for dedicated in-building 5G coverage.
Key topic #2: Challenges of the outdoor-to-indoor model for 5G
As service providers have tried to satisfy both outdoor and indoor coverage needs through their macro networks, and as spectrum needs have evolved toward ever higher frequency bands, the outside-in approach to indoor coverage is reaching its limits. From spectrum types and coverage characteristics to building penetration challenges, our report takes a close look at the inability of this model to deliver the full advantages of 5G.
Key topic #3: The return on investment for an outdoor-to-indoor model
Considering the challenges of outdoor-to-indoor coverage for 5G networks and the amount paid by service providers for mid-band spectrum in recent auctions (CBRS-PAL, C-Band and DoD) you have to wonder: Are the providers getting an adequate return on their spectrum investments? Our paper aims to answer this question by examining traffic distribution, outdoor site efficiency and asset utilization to calculate spectrum value.
Key topic #4: Dedicated in-building coverage is imperative for 5G and future Gs
Mobile data traffic originating indoors will continue to grow, and bandwidth to serve these demands is only available through midand high-band spectrum. These higher bands, however, cannot penetrate deep indoors, and therefore, 5G coverage in buildings will have to be dedicated, originating indoors and not from the macro.
Read more about the key topics surrounding indoor RAN and learn about the strengths and limitations of available solutions.
Download the paper
In the race to connect rural America, fiber providers face a golden opportunity through the Broadband Equity Access and Deployment (BEAD) and Enhanced Alternative Connect America Cost Model (E-ACAM) programs. However, the challenges of reaching remote households with fiber alone can be daunting. Fixed Wireless Access (FWA) emerges as an ideal complement to fiber deployment.
By combining the high capacity of fiber backhaul with the flexibility and rapid deployment of FWA for last-mile connectivity, providers can efficiently bridge the digital divide while maximizing their BEAD and E-ACAM funding potential.
Standards based:
• 3GPP-based technology ensures interoperability and future-proofing
• Multiple CPE vendor options help avoid the pitfalls of proprietary solutions and CPE vendor lock-in
• 3GPP scale leads to more cost-effective and future-proof CPE
Rapid deployment:
• Two to six months, more than 18 months for fiber
• Time-to-market advantage crucial for meeting BEAD project timelines
Cost effective:
• Lower initial investment requirements and flexible scaling options
• Well-suited for low-density rural areas where the economics of fiber deployment can be challenging
• Broader reach for providers without breaking the bank
Flexible and scalable:
• Bridges the last mile to rural customers
• Reuses existing site infrastructure
• Is easily upgradable
High customer satisfaction:
• 2024 CableTV survey1 found FWA delivers the same level of consumer satisfaction as fiber
• Parks Associates’ consumer study2 reports that fiber and mobile services score the highest regarding consumer value perceptions of their internet service, especially on cost
Today’s 5G FWA solutions offer performance that rivals fiber in many scenarios.
• Reliable speeds exceeding 100/20 Mbps, with peak speeds greater than 1 Gbps
• Decreased CPE costs through global adoption
• Multiple CPE vendor options
• Proven technology—two out of three US Tier-1 CSPs have millions of subscribers using FWA for residential broadband service
What about spectrum?
• FWA broadband, using licensed spectrum, is eligible for BEAD grants in high-cost areas, says NTIA.3
• CBRS Priority Access License (PAL) and General Authorized Access (GAA) are reliable spectrum options.
• Leasing spectrum is an option in some cases.
The power of synergy: FWA and fiber working together
The true strength of FWA lies in its ability to complement fiber networks. By using fiber for high-capacity backhaul and FWA for last-mile connectivity, providers can create robust, efficient networks that meet BEAD requirements while overcoming geographical and economic hurdles.
The best of both worlds:
• Fiber’s unmatched capacity and FWA’s flexibility and rapid deployment
• Particularly effective in challenging terrains where trenching for fiber is impractical or in spread-out communities where fiber-to-the-home isn’t economically viable
Deliver on the promise of universal broadband access
Accelerate your time-to-market in underserved areas.
Extend your network’s reach more economically.
Meet and exceed BEAD performance requirements.
Deliver high customer satisfaction from day one.
Why choose Ericsson for your FWA deployment?
Market share 60%
5G FWA RAN networks powered by Ericsson
Innovation No. 1
FWA-centric features such as 3Tx UL, mmWave-only FWA and extended mmWave range
Deployment No. 1
Powering the world’s largest 5G standalone FWA networks
Evolution No. 1
Leading vendor for gigabit mmWave FWA networks
Global expertise, regional focus 70+
Regional carrier customers across North America
Let Ericsson help you craft a winning strategy that leverages the best of both fiber and wireless technologies. Together, we can bridge the rural broadband gap and bring high-speed connectivity to every community.
Contact us for more details.
3 WISPs are loving NTIA’s new spectrum rules for BEAD (fierce-network.com).
In this edition of “Ask the Experts,” Senior Solutions Manager Tony Bennett explains how differentiated connectivity will give users, developers and enterprises the optimal level of connectivity at the right time for their needs, ensuring seamless performance and resource efficiency in the network. In addition, we hear from Roger Galuban, Senior Product Manager, about the latest innovation that will enable indoor coverage for regional carriers.
Tony Bennett Senior Solutions Manager, Ericsson North America
Q: What is differentiated connectivity and what is the opportunity for regional carriers?
A: Differentiated connectivity is a service innovation enabler. All application service providers (ASPs) are looking for new ways to monetize their networks to increase revenues and average revenue per user. Many of today’s mobile networks provide “best-effort” mobile broadband services that do not provide any specific performance guarantees for their end users. Differentiated connectivity replaces the best-effort model with four new performance classes (adaptive immediate, fixed buffered, fixed immediate, adaptive buffered), which can be dynamically assigned to specific users and applications to provide end-to-end performance-level guarantees that can enhance the overall end-user quality of experience.
Differentiated connectivity uses 5G standalone (SA) network capabilities such as network slicing, radio resource partitioning and enhanced traffic scheduling to optimize performance levels of bandwidth sensitive applications, latency sensitive applications or both.
Differentiated connectivity will give users, developers and enterprises the optimal level of connectivity at the right time for their needs, ensuring seamless performance and resource efficiency in the network. Several mobile network operators have already started their journey toward creating new innovative services that use differentiated connectivity. For example:
• Tier-1 in the US: Launched a 5G network slicing beta for developers who are working to supercharge their video calling applications with the power of 5G SA. With a customized network slice, developers can sign up to test video calling applications that require consistent uplink and downlink speeds along with lower latency and increased reliability.
• Singtel: Became the first operator to deliver nationwide SA coverage. They were then able to deliver an end-to-end dedicated 5G network slice in their live network, enabling subscribers of their video app CAST to enjoy livestreams of the F1 Grand Prix with a prioritized and differentiated user experience.
• Telstra: Plans to offer a B2B Fixed Wireless Access product to enterprises looking to establish connectivity to new offices fast. Telstra intends to offer different standard speeds to customers, with a service-level agreement which, if the speed is not delivered in any given hour, will credit the customer.
Every mobile network operator is unique, and the conditions under which they operate are also unique. Regional carriers who have already started or are planning to deploy 5G SA networks can use differentiated connectivity to create their own services that provide end-to-end performance guarantees. Example use cases include:
• Ensuring that local subscribers in remote tourist locations receive their required levels of service during periods of high data traffic volumes created by tourists taking pictures and videos
• Creating enhanced end-user experiences in local college football stadiums
• Providing performance guarantees for local fire, police and ambulance services
Differentiated connectivity is only one tool Ericsson supports that ASPs can use to create programmable networks that can achieve profitable growth through the provisioning of services with different performance levels. We are proud to serve our regional carrier customers in any way possible to help them move to the next stage of their mobile network evolution journey.
Roger Galuban Senior Product Manager, Ericsson
Q: What is the latest innovation that will enable indoor coverage for regional carriers?
A: To meet the demands of an increasingly connected society, we must take 5G indoors. Ericsson’s Radio Dot System (RDS) has been one of the leading solutions for indoor coverage and capacity for close to a decade, serving more than 125 service providers globally. By leveraging common components on the Ericsson radio access network (RAN) portfolio, the solution can quickly scale to deliver multicarrier services for venues like offices, shopping malls, hotels, airports and stadiums.
The indoor market is diverse, with many different venue types, needs and use cases. With the introduction of the Indoor Fusion Unit, Ericsson has made the RDS significantly more compact, at a price point that enables it to bring outstanding 4G and 5G services to smaller venues such as coffee shops or neighborhood grocery stores.
The following Radio Dot models supporting U.S. licensed and shared licensed bands are all compatible with the Indoor Fusion:
• Single band: Dot 4459 B77D and Dot 4459 B48
• Dual band: Dot 2272 B5 B12, Dot 2272 B5 B13 and Dot 2274 B25 B66
• Triple band: Dot 4455 B77D B25 B66 and Dot 4455 B77D B77G B41
• Quad-band: Dot 2256 B41 B48 B25 B66
The Indoor Fusion provides all necessary RAN components in a pre-integrated package. It includes the functions of a baseband, a 4-port IRU and a GPS receiver, which can be installed in three simple steps on any wall:
1. Install the Indoor Fusion bracket and mount the Indoor Fusion Unit on the bracket
2. Connect the backhaul and the Radio Dots (up to four) to the Indoor Fusion
3. Connect the power cable to the Indoor Fusion
And voilà: You now have a complete 4G plus 5G indoor solution in your venue.
For more information on the Indoor Fusion, please visit Indoor—Ericsson or contact your Ericsson Account manager.
Minnie’s Food Pantry is the voice for the hungry in North Texas. Headquartered in Plano, Minnie’s is on a mission to provide healthy meals, educational resources and red-carpet treatment to children and families in need. Driven by a deep-seated belief that overall wellness begins with healthy food and financial education, the organization’s fundamental goal is to provide programs that help families gain long-term food security.
This August, 24 Ericsson employees volunteered at the food pantry, helping to sort cans, stock shelves, prepare bags of food and clean the facility. In addition, participants who couldn’t attend in person helped by donating food items and gift cards for groceries.
Minnie’s Food Pantry was founded by Dr. Cheryl Jackson in honor of her late mother, Minnie Hawthorne-Ewing, D.D. Since its humble beginnings in 2008, the food pantry has expanded to four locations in three states and has provided more than 19 million healthy meals to families in need. Each year, around 20,000 individuals volunteer with Minnie’s Food Pantry, devoting their time and effort to feed families experiencing food poverty.
According to Feeding Texas, nearly 4 million Texans face hunger and food insecurity, including:
20% of all children
11% of households with seniors
“It was both eyeopening and a pleasure to work at Minnie’s Food Pantry. Working with an organization that is solely focused on directly benefiting the local Plano community by improving food security was a terrifically rewarding experience. All of us on the Ericsson team who participated came away with respect for how well the food pantry process was organized, admiration for their empathy and sense of humanity and a feeling of wanting to contribute there more often. It was a fun and meaningful way to spend time with our team!”
Surya Bommakanti, Head of Cloud Software and Services, Customer Unit
Regional Customers and HCPs, Ericsson
Located in Mocksville, North Carolina, Footprints Farm is a rural sanctuary where every individual—particularly those with special needs—can find purpose, fulfillment and a sense of belonging. It was founded earlier this year by Paul Feldmann, Vice President of Engineering at Carolina West Wireless, whose daughter Sarah has a rare genetic disorder and a fervent love of horses and other animals.
“There’s a strong parallel to the purpose behind Carolina West and Footprints Farm. It’s all about filling a void—providing access for a group of people whose needs are often overlooked. You invest without concern about return, because you care deeply about your community.”
Paul Feldmann, VP of Engineering at Carolina West Wireless and Founder of Footprints Farm
At age 7, Sarah became a Special Olympics equestrian. Shortly thereafter, Paul and his wife Erica began to feel a strong desire to give back to the people who have supported their family since Sarah’s birth. “What’s interesting about having a special needs child is the community you are thrust into,” said Paul. “Our children have very different conditions, but we all face similar challenges. We’ve been so blessed, and we want to offer that blessing back.”
Inspired by Sarah’s passion, the idea for Footprints Farm was born. “We wanted to create a place where these kids and their families could go to experience things they might not otherwise be able to,” Paul explained, “like take a walk in the woods, fish on a pond, pet a goat or maybe even ride a horse.”
The farm has been open since May and is currently home to six horses, seven goats, two rabbits, a handful of dogs and a donkey. They hosted a soft opening in the spring and a festival in the fall, during which a total of more than 40 families explored the 27-acre wooded property and 2-acre fishing pond, met the animals and played games like disc golf and cornhole. But there’s much more in store.
“When we’re done, we’re going to have about a mile’s worth of accessible trails, a chapel, a small amphitheater and a fully stocked petting zoo with pigs and chickens,” Paul said. “We’re working with educators from the special needs community to organize school field trips here, as well as folks from the Down Syndrome Association of Greater Winston-Salem,
who are interested in offering week-long day camps.” Eventually, Paul also wants to offer certified equine therapy services and expand the Special Olympics equestrian program into Davie County.
It’s an ambitious challenge, but one that Paul believes his time in the U.S. Coast Guard and his career in telecom has more than prepared him for. “We run fast and furious in the wireless world,” he said. “Nothing is the same from day to day. You have to be nimble, ready to pivot on a dime. And that’s a lot like life on a farm.”
Giving back is also in the DNA of Carolina West Wireless. Like many regional carriers, Carolina West is deeply committed to supporting the communities they serve.
To learn more about Footprints Farm, visit footprints-farm.org
A leading provider of information and communication technology (ICT) to service providers, Ericsson enables the full value of connectivity by creating game-changing technology and services that are easy to use, adopt and scale—making customers successful in a fully connected world.
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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.
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.
Ericsson’s high-performing networks provide connectivity for billions of people every day. For nearly 150 years, we’ve been pioneers in creating technology for communication. We offer mobile communication and connectivity solutions for service providers and enterprises. Together with our customers and partners, we make the digital world of tomorrow a reality. www.ericsson.com
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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 2024
