Ericsson and Proptivity recently announced that they’ve deployed the world’s first neutral host-led shared indoor 5G radio access network (RAN) powered by the Radio Dot System. The RAN was deployed in a central Stockholm property housing a flagship shopping mall and office tenants.
The indoor 5G connectivity allow visitors and employees to access download speeds of up to 1.2 Gbps anywhere in the building, even during peak hours.
Shopping malls have often posed connectivity challenges due to the vast amount of foot traffic. Challenges include ensuring everyone in a given space can get the same quality of wireless service, regardless of their communications service provider.
The Ericsson-Proptivity partnership delivers a neutral host-led indoor 5G network that offers multi-operator, multi-vendor mobile solutions for high-performing indoor networks with lower cost per gigabyte than legacy solutions, according to the companies.
“This milestone with Proptivity using Ericsson’s indoor 5G network solution marks a shift towards a new business model in the indoor space, with neutral hosts and enterprises increasingly taking the helm when it comes to indoor 5G deployments,” said David Hammarwall, Head of Product Area Networks, Ericsson. “This development underlines the growing demand for high-performing indoor 5G inside, as well as outdoors.”
Ericsson’s Radio Dot Systems, an indoor 5G small cell solution, minimizes building infrastructure and operations disruption with compact components and an IT-like installation, the companies said.
The shareable solution is also energy-efficient; it decreases power consumption and equipment footprint by up to 70 and 80 percent respectively, which has become an important criterion for property owners, compared to legacy distributed antenna systems (DAS), the companies said.
“(Building owner) Fastpartner aims to deliver superior digital experiences to their tenants and is a clear frontrunner in the real estate market when it comes to indoor connectivity,” said Proptivity CEO Mikael Lundman. “Together with Ericsson, we’ve developed an indoor 5G solution that meets their requirements for a future-proof network infrastructure that can be leveraged by all mobile operators to provide tenants with an amazing 5G experience, regardless of what mobile operator the current or future tenants are using.”
“We see 5G as a key innovation platform for our tenants and for our own continued digitalization,” Fastpartner Deputy CEO Christopher Johansson said. “It will likely create many opportunities that we cannot even see today. We have chosen to work with Proptivity as they offer a strong 5G solution together with Ericsson that meets our needs from a technical perspective, as well as a simple business model that we believe in.”
By connecting to the indoor network, service providers can also extend their footprint without additional capital investments. Local operator, 3 Sweden, is the first service provider to connect to the shared indoor 5G network.
Other tenants and companies based in the building are also expected to benefit from the high-performing indoor 5G network. Enterprise tenants can provide customers and staff with seamless, secure connectivity without the need for Wi-Fi logins. Offices can also poise themselves to support future workplace connectivity needs, for example, high-speed internet for 5G laptops.
“We’re very excited to be the first operator to connect to this pioneering indoor network,” 3 Sweden CEO Haval van Drumpt said. “By embracing innovative business models and high-performing solutions that enable network sharing, like the Ericsson Radio Dot System, the telecoms industry can provide commercial buildings with high-capacity indoor 5G more easily and ramp up Sweden’s digitalization faster.”
