08 May 2024

Swisscom is aiming to transform its network into a smart network by extending its partnership with Ericsson for another three years.

Ericsson will continue to supply the hardware and software for Swisscom, enabling it to enhance its customer experience and further develop the mobile network with a focus on sustainability. The network is already fully powered by renewable energy.

“We are now taking the next step in this long-standing strategic partnership as we endeavour to turn Switzerland’s best network into its smartest one. This will enable us to not only offer our customers the best customer experience but also to place an even greater focus on sustainability and innovation,” said Swisscom in a statement.

The network will be modernised through automation, the use of artificial intelligence (AI), and increased innovation. The agreement, with a special focus on innovation, performance, and energy efficiency, will see the introduction of Ericsson’s Dual-band Radio 4490 as well as RAN processor designed to serve all technologies from a single box and support real-time AI processing.

Swisscom further aims to equip many sites with Massive MIMO Radios in the next three years as part of the continued effort to expand mid-band TDD coverage further. With continuous spectrum refarming to New Radio (NR), the telco is preparing its network for 5G Standalone (SA) with the possibility of launching new services, the official release said.

The agreement also will bring network improvements from the introduction of Ericsson’s Cloud Native Infrastructure Solution (CNIS) to support telecom applications across the business, enabling software upgrades during operation.