Nice post, Kgem. I also expect word of the audits but nothing specific about acquisitions-maybe contracts. But this suits me just fine as the news of new acquisitions will make a great PR around the middle or end of May. If he says audits complete and acquisitions almost finalized, think we see a new group of investors enter-the ones who like a sure thing, but have plenty of money. Getting excited about the CC...
2017 will be a momentous year for 5G Ericsson Research Blog - Research, Insights and Technology Reflections
Ulf Ewaldsson - Dec 22, 2016
CTO reflection:
Ericsson has achieved encouraging progress in 5G standardization in 2016, with industry use cases, and live field trials. Big efforts in research and development, but also industry-wide collaborations are behind the fantastic evolution. The movement is set to continue throughout 2017 and our ambition is to be a leader in terms of our contribution to technological innovation as well as aligning the ICT industry.
Mobile networks are a top strategic priority
We are supporting a lot of new industry use cases and other industries in their digitalization journey. We have been busy building the ecosystem by collaborating with universities and research institutions and running pilots with relevant industry players in automotive, transport, agriculture, manufacturing and many more.
A report launched this year by Ericsson, Opportunities in 5G: The View from Eight Industries, shows that 94% of executives from eight major industries rate next-generation (5G) mobile networks a top strategic priority.
It also reveals the anticipated impact of 5G, the next-generation mobile technology, on specific industries. It examines how these industries expect to apply 5G, which specific uses of the new technology are likely to dominate in their industry, and what business reasons will drive them to move to 5G.
This helps us make sure we are developing the right products for real-world applications and enables us to support our customers in understanding what can be done with 5G technology to accelerate innovation.
Here are some of the key developments within 5G in 2016:
•Ericsson presented the world’s first 5G NR radio •5G plugins from Ericsson •SK Telecom and Ericsson conducted first multi-vehicular 5G trials with BMW •Ericsson and China Mobile showcased 5G drone technology •Ericsson initiated a 5G motorway project with a cross-industry consortium in Germany •Ericsson, Qualcomm and SK Telecom announced a collaboration on 5G NR trials to accelerate wide-scale 5G deployments •Ericsson and King’s College London demonstrate 5G tactile robotic surgery
We also surveyed important telecoms players and 92% of executives from 100 operators agree that 5G paves the way for the emergence of new technologies. With their opinions in mind, we signed an unprecedented 28 memorandums of understanding with mobile network operators around the world, with many trials announced. We will also see pre-commercial launches at the PyeongChang 2018 Winter Games Olympics in February 2017.
5G + IoT + Cloud technology
As detailed in the latest Ericsson ConsumerLab report, 10 Hot Consumer Trends for 2017, consumers are increasingly choosing to use automated applications, which is driving IoT adoption. Many believe smartphones will learn their habits and perform activities on their behalf automatically. Artificial Intelligence is something that can be used for a number of areas, including automated network operation. We are exploring automation in many dimensions, and Ericsson Research is in the forefront when it comes to Machine Intelligence, based not least on experience from managing, collecting and analyzing huge amounts of data from the telecommunications infrastructure.
As consumers increasingly rely on IoT devices, and begin moving within AR (Augmented Reality) and VR (Virtual Reality) environments (and in autonomous, AI-controlled cars) the demand for battery-friendly, high-speed, near-zero latency connectivity is expected to grow rapidly. These technologies must be truly mobile to become popular, which makes the need for reliable 5G networks even more evident.
5G networks, IoT, and Cloud technology are being put in place to underpin consumer and industry needs. 2016 witnessed major progress in 5G development, both from our side with products, roadmaps and architecture in place, and from industry side with industry digitalization pilots and important milestones in vital 5G standardization.
When connected to the cloud, smart machines will be able to use the powerful computational, storage and communication resources of state-of-the-art data centers. Today’s intelligent software robotics systems can support repetitive administrative tasks with current development pushing toward advisory tasks. Cloudification shifts the capabilities of these systems into a new sphere that includes complex problem-solving and decision-making on a mass-market scale.
No industry owns IoT development on their own. It is a joint effort between device manufacturers, network providers, and society regulators. Ericsson collaborations, along with our ability to create and facilitate the ecosystem in Cloud, was demonstrated in 2016 with announcement of a working partnership with Amazon Web Services. We are now developing solutions to help service providers meet internal efficiency goals and to take advantage of rapid innovation and opportunities in end-to-end cloud, mobility and IoT.
Looking ahead to an exciting future
Right now, I am looking forward to continuing our journey with further progress in 5G standardization and field trials, which we will present at CES 2017 and Mobile World Congress 2017. Visitors to CES can expect to see VR demos, drones, wearables, smart home devices and connected cars. All these innovations depend on faster data rates, broader bandwidth and longer battery life—the very advantages 5G will bring. Announcements reading MWC will be made closer to the date.
As Chief Strategy and Technology Officer, I am part of a very strong team. Our mandate is broad and deep and we will work with both internal and external stakeholders to forge our company’s and customer’s future successes.
This inspires me to make 2017 a year to remember.
Ulf Ewaldsson
Ulf Ewaldsson is Senior Vice President, Group CTO and Head of Group Function Technology at Ericsson. He was previously Head of Product Area Radio at Ericsson’s Business Unit Networks. As well as the current chairman of Ericsson’s Research Board, Ulf is also a member of the European Cloud Partnership Steering Board and the European Innovation Partnership on Smart Cities and Communities headed by the European Commission. He has more than 20 years of experience in product management, industry development and customer relations.
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