New Ericsson software makes the shift to standalone 5G easier

Communications service providers can now tap the full potential of 5G New Radio (NR) technology with the commercial availability of Ericsson (NASDAQ: ERIC) Standalone 5G NR software for 5G mid- and low bands. The software became globally available to all customers in June.

With this software, communications service providers can now operate 5G NR without the need for signaling support from an underlying LTE network. This will allow service providers to add 5G NR to existing 4G sites with a simpler architecture, or deploy 5G independently in new areas such as factories, to support enterprise applications and services. All Ericsson Radio System equipment deployed since 2015 can support Standalone 5G NR capabilities with a software installation.

To date, 5G networks have been deployed in Non-standalone (NSA) mode where the underlying 4G network layer supported the necessary signaling. Standalone 5G NR removes this 4G dependency. With Standalone 5G NR, faster network connection times, simpler mobility management and immediate access to wide 5G bands provide an even better user experience.