ENCQOR 5G and Ericsson Deploy Standalone 5G Network to Drive Innovation and Edge Applications

Clears the path for the next wave of innovation on 5G
Provides faster network connection times, simpler mobility management, and immediate access to wide 5G bands means a better user experience
Enables edge computing and applications considered essential for assuring 5G success

Montreal (Quebec) – ENCQOR 5G and Ericsson (NASDAQ: ERIC) are pleased to announce the deployment of the ENCQOR 5G standalone end-to-end 5G network.

The ENCQOR 5G network is now capable of serving edge-based applications with one-way latency tolerances of less than five milliseconds, a critical breakthrough for the success of future innovations such as autonomous driving, robotics, and public safety. Latency is the delay between a user’s action and the response to that action from the network, from the application or from the service. There are inherent changes in 5G technology, and its architecture focused just on improving the latency.

"With the deployment of the standalone 5G service developed by one of our five anchor partners, Ericsson, ENCQOR 5G is taking a major step in helping Canada deliver its technological promise of 5G more rapidly. Through stimulating the growth of our innovative 5G ecosystem, this initiative is supporting the digital transformation of the Canadian economy. SMEs and other partners engaged in ENCQOR 5G, notably in the academic sector, will have easy and free access to this cutting-edge technology through our 5G test bench,” said Pierre Boucher, General Manager of ENCQOR 5G.

The newest 5G service builds upon the earlier non-standalone (NSA) 5G managed and operated network that Ericsson makes available to the ENCQOR 5G community. The standalone network, including the cloud-native 5G Core, is a crucial step in the 5G evolution because it enables the next wave of innovation by clearing a path for technology solutions that require ultra-reliable, low-latency communications and 5G Network Exposure Function capabilities. 5G use cases requiring ultra-low latency and much higher capacity will only be feasible with a standalone 5G network.

“Ericsson is dedicated to bringing 5G to Canada and we are proud to support ENCQOR 5G’s evolution,” says David Everingham, Chief Technology Officer for Ericsson Canada. “The 5G standalone network is the target architecture for commercial networks in Canada and around the world. By providing the power of standalone 5G now, Canadian SMEs using ENCQOR 5G have an early ability to continue ground-breaking innovation and research.”

Most 5G networks have been deployed in NSA mode where the underlying 4G network layer supported the necessary signaling. A standalone 5G network removes the dependency on 4G. The standalone network delivers faster network connection times, simpler mobility management, and immediate access to wide 5G bands, to provide a better user experience.

5G capabilities are responsible for the largest technological advancement since the global shift from dial-up to broadband internet. Disruptive applications enabled by this technology will fundamentally change the way services are delivered, revolutionize how we interact with the world around us and, by doing so, create enormous opportunities while replacing soon to be outdated business models.

About ENCQOR 5G
ENCQOR 5G (Evolution of Networked Services through a Corridor in Quebec and Ontario for Research and Innovation) is a major partnership in the field of 5G disruptive technologies focused on research, innovation, and the adoption of 5G products and services by end users. ENCQOR provides companies and public-sector researchers with access to a pre-commercial 5G testbed to develop and test innovative solutions and applications. ENCQOR is made possible thanks to private and public investments from the governments of Canada, Quebec, and Ontario, as well as world leaders in digital technology (Ericsson, Ciena, Thales, IBM Canada, and CGI). ENCQOR is delivered in Ontario by the Ontario Centre of Innovation (OCI).

About Ericsson
Ericsson enables communications service providers to capture the full value of connectivity. The company’s portfolio spans Networks, Digital Services, Managed Services, and Emerging Business and is designed to help our customers go digital, increase efficiency, and find new revenue streams. Ericsson’s investments in innovation have delivered the benefits of telephony and mobile broadband to billions of people around the world. The Ericsson stock is listed on Nasdaq Stockholm and on Nasdaq New York.