Telenor selects Ericsson for 5G core network transformation

Ericsson (NASDAQ: ERIC) has inked a new deal with Telenor Group, the Norwegian multinational telecommunications company, to transform its core network in Sweden, Denmark and Norway.

Under the terms of the Network Function Virtualization contract, Ericsson’s full portfolio of network function solutions and related services will be harnessed to deploy Ericsson Cloud Core solutions for 5G across multiple data centers for Telenor. This includes Policy Control, virtual IMS (vIMS) and virtual User Data Consolidation (vUDC) as well as lead system integration and support services.

The transformation will make Telenor more agile as it moves towards launching commercial 5G services using both fixed and mobile access. In addition to improving operational efficiency, it also exposes network capabilities for IoT applications and other potential future services.

Morten Karlsen Sørby, Telenor’s Executive Vice President and Acting Cluster Head Scandinavia says: “Ericsson’s portfolio of VNF enables Telenor to become more agile while reducing costs through improved operations. This transformational deal is an important step towards future-proofing our core network as we look towards 5G. It provides us with state-of-the-art virtual core applications that serve mobile and fixed access and extend the lifecycle of our legacy network.”

Arun Bansal, Ericsson’s Head of Europe & Latin America says: “Ericsson is a long-term partner to Telenor in Scandinavia, supporting the company across multiple engagements in fixed and mobile networks in the region. This deal strengthens that partnership by evolving Telenor’s existing network to the cloud, ensuring continued exceptional services to their customers. As we move together towards 5G it also opens up new opportunities in the IoT space.”