Ericsson announces new solutions to boost 5G indoor capacity

Ericsson announced its latest 5G indoor radio unit, called IRU 8850, which is suited for medium-to-large venue coverage

Ericsson said it has expanded its indoor mobile connectivity portfolio with three new solutions aimed at delivering 5G coverage, capacity and capabilities across the interior of any work or business environment, the European vendor said in a release.

The vendor noted that the new solutions become part of its Ericsson Radio Dot System portfolio.

Ericsson highlighted that the currently fragmented in-building market primarily consists of technologies such as Distributed Antenna Systems (DAS) and small cells. As a result, the indoor technology decision-making process is often difficult and time-consuming. Ericsson said that its recent additions to its indoor 5G portfolio – comprised of two new hardware products and a software solution – are aimed at meeting customers’ monetization goals through a scalable solution suitable for any indoor environment.

The vendor announced its latest indoor radio unit, called IRU 8850, which is suited for medium-to-large venue coverage. It delivers up to four times the capacity of its predecessors, enhancing network performance and user experience in medium to large venues. It is also up to 70% more energy-efficient compared to active DAS technology, according to Ericsson. The product can serve up to eight venues from one centralized location, with a 10km fiber reach.

The second indoor 5G portfolio addition is called the Ericsson Indoor Fusion Unit, an all-in-one indoor 5G solution that combines radio and baseband functionalities into one unit. Ericsson Indoor Fusion Unit is aimed at small and medium-sized buildings such as coffee shops, chain stores, branch offices, movie theatres, and restaurants. It can connect up to four Radio Dots to deliver multi-Gbps speeds.

Ericsson is also introducing a new software feature for indoor networks called Ericsson 5G Precise Positioning, which provides location services for a wide range of uses cases that CSPs and enterprises can use, like asset tracking and tool positioning, in environments such as factories, mines, hospitals, warehouses, and other industrial private network applications, as well as in emergency response scenarios.

David Hammarwall, head of product area networks at Ericsson, said: “The new Radio Dot System equipment and location services software further increase the flexibility of Ericsson’s indoor portfolio. Scalable and cost-efficient, the expanded portfolio offers a one-stop-shop to accelerate indoor 5G rollouts globally, spreading the benefits of premium indoor connectivity. It will also enable a variety of use cases for service providers and enterprises that will boost operational efficiency, safety, and user experience.”

“The indoor 5G market is taking off and T-Mobile is ensuring our business customers are reaping the benefits. New solutions like the Ericsson Indoor Fusion Unit will enable us to quickly scale and deliver 5G to our customers with high-performing networks indoors, enabling incredible new use cases and opportunities,” said Mark McDiarmid, SVP of radio network engineering and development at T-Mobile US.