Orange launches Ericsson-powered 5G in Spain

5G Radio Access Network (RAN) and Core products and solutions are powering Orange Spain’s 5G services in Madrid and Barcelona, the nation’s two largest cities, following the communication service provider’s September 7 nationwide commercial 5G launch.

Ericsson’s initial 5G deployments in Madrid and Barcelona will be followed by other locations under a four-year partnership to help Orange Spain develop its 5G offering across Spain.

Operating on 3.6GHz spectrum, the 5G network in Madrid and Barcelona is powered by the Ericsson Radio System (Baseband 6648 and AIR 6488 antenna), delivering Massive MIMO, a key technology that significantly increases network capacity and spectral efficiency.

Ericsson also supplies Orange Spain with a 5G Evolved Packet Core to support 5G New Radio non-standalone (NSA), including control plane, user plane and policy network functions. These are all parts of the Ericsson Cloud Core portfolio.

Enhanced mobile broadband and advanced gaming are expected to be among the first benefits to be enjoyed by Orange Spain’s customers through the increased speed and lower latency enabled by 5G. The technology platform will also enable innovation opportunities for Orange Spain across business, industry, society and subscriber use and business cases.

The 5G deployment with Orange Spain builds on a partnership with Ericsson stretching back more than 20 years to the first generation of mobile technology.

Arun Bansal, President of Ericsson Europe and Latin America, says: “Ericsson’s 5G technology provides faster networks, much better mobile broadband experiences to end users and gives mobile networks greater innovation capabilities to meet future demands. Our core and radio portfolios are instrumental in providing a sustainable platform for innovation and economic growth in Spain. Ericsson is thrilled to partner with Orange Spain to help them capture the opportunities that 5G and related technologies will bring to their subscribers and to industries.”

Ericsson currently has 108 commercial 5G agreements and contracts with unique communications service providers, of which 58 are publicly announced 5G deals, including 60 live commercial 5G networks.