Vodafone is deploying new, multi-standard Ericsson small cells in stores in the Netherlands.
The RBS 6420 range offers “tablet-sized” cells that are able to deliver LTE speeds of up to 300MBps with carrier aggregation. Ericsson said they can be made network-live in as little as 10 minutes.
The “plug and play” units offer multi-standard capabilities across a range of spectrum bands and have been designed for buildings up to 5000 square meters in size, Ericsson said. The RBS 6420 forms part of the vendor’s wider Radio Dot system which, in recent trials with Skanska, was shown to improve data throughput by up to five times.
Valter D’Avino, Head of Ericsson’s Region Western and Central Europe, said: “As a strategic network supplier to Vodafone, Ericsson is delivering on our promise to work closely with Vodafone to expand their opportunities in the enterprise market with our small cell portfolio.”
The news comes following a busy week for Ericsson at Mobile World Congress.
The Swedish vendor announced a wide-ranging partnership with Telstra to deploy VoLTE and LTE Broadcast, alongside tri-band carrier aggregation from the operator’s recently-acquired 700MHz and 2.6GHz spectrum. It also announced tests of TDD-LTE on the 3.5GHz band with fellow Australian service provider NBN.
Over the pond, Ericsson signed an MoU with Korea Telecom to explore business opportunities stemming from 5G research and development, while announcing new LTE-A projects in China with Singapore’s SingTel and China Mobile.
Last month, Polish football club Legia Warszawa became the first team in Europe to sign a small cell as a service contract with the vendor.
Read more:
Ericsson, Qualcomm to demonstrate LTE Cat 11 at MWC
MWC: Small cells forum releases guide to bring remote areas online