Ireland’s largest communications service provider, eir, has launched its 5G network across the country. Powered by products from Ericsson’s 5G Core offering and supported with Subscriber Data Management solutions, customers across Ireland will now be able to connect to 5G and benefit from enhanced Mobile Broadband and Fixed Wireless Access.
The next generation of connectivity will initially be available from 100 sites serving 10 towns and cities around the country, with another 100 to follow in the coming weeks. The first locations are Dublin, Cork, Limerick, Galway, Waterford, Carlow, Castlebar, Dundalk, Drogheda and Kilkenny. One hundred additional sites in Athlone, Bray, Ennis, Letterkenny, Sligo, Tralee and Trim will be added before the end of year.
5G services have been enabled in eir by upgrading its existing Evolved Packet Core (EPC) and User Data Management (UDM) networks to Ericsson solutions supporting 5G capabilities. Harnessing the power of these new capabilities, eir’s subscribers in the abovementioned locations can now enjoy the benefits of enhanced Mobile Broadband and Fixed Wireless Access.
John Griffin, Head of Ericsson Ireland, says: “Ericsson and eir have a longstanding and close relationship, enabling us to collaborate and deliver a 5G Core network capable of meeting the needs of eir’s customers across Ireland. eir’s Core not only has the latest 5G capabilities, but also significantly improved capacity. With live 5G networks all over the world, we’re incredibly proud to announce yet another network launch.
“Ericsson has a strong R&D presence in Ireland, currently investing around EUR 120 million per year in the research facility in Athlone alone. We’re very pleased with the bold steps Ireland is taking towards the 5G digital revolution and are fully committed to supporting our customers on their journey.”
The launch of eir’s 5G services across Ireland follows the recent news that Ericsson was chosen by eir to consolidate its charging systems using Ericsson Charging as its single, comprehensive system. eir will benefit from an overall reduction in costs, greater stability and flexibility to target new market segments. This also opens the ability to create new advanced product offerings – including support for new 5G use cases.
eir’s customers will access new features, including real-time access to account information, charges and modern and advanced offers to meet exponential consumer demand.
Photo caption: (left) eir CTO, Guillaume Duhaze, (right) Ericsson Ireland country manager, John Griffin
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