Ericsson has already partnered with Bhutan Telecom to deploy previous generations of mobile connectivity. This included providing connectivity to parts of the country where navigation is often only possible via motorized mountain passes.
Chele La’s impressive pass is just one example. At 4,000 meters above sea level, it offers one of the most famous views of the Himalayas, in particular the sacred mountain Jhomalari.
In addition to Bhutanese citizens, tens of thousands of tourists, hikers and hikers from around the world will get to know the Chele La Pass and its views. They may also be familiar with the fact that, despite its distance, it is connected to the Bhutan Telecom network and therefore to the rest of the world.
These impressive achievements and providing network connectivity were the work of joint deployment and product capacity experience of Ericsson and Bhutan Telecom.
It is this kind of groundbreaking collaboration that Ericsson and Bhutan Telecom seek to develop as the communications service provider (CSP) begins to deploy 5G connectivity to other parts of the country.
The deployment of 5G will also contribute to the Bhutanese government’s efforts to bridge the digital divide in the country and drive the innovative fourth industrial revolution (4IR), or Industry 4.0, opportunities for businesses, industries, verticals and public sectors.
Ericsson will work with Bhutan Telecom to explore next-generation related use cases, leveraging artificial intelligence (AI), augmented reality (AR), virtual reality (VR), automation and the Internet of Things (IoT).
5G services are expected to be implemented in Bhutan during the last quarter of 2021.
Technology
Ericsson will be responsible for the launch of the 5G network. The contract includes the non-independent deployment of 5G (NSA) covering Ericsson radio system products and solutions, including Ericsson spectrum sharing.
It also includes software updates to Ericsson Cloud Packet Core, Cloud Unified Data Management and Policy, Cloud IMS and OSS / BSS to add support for non-standalone 5G (NSA), paving the way for the future introduction of 5G Standalone (SA) ) support.
Karma Jurme, CEO of Bhutan Telecom, says: “We appreciate the government’s reliance on telecommunications infrastructure to boost the country’s digital infrastructure. The introduction of 5G will boost digital services in the country and allow Bhutan to become a” society digital “.”
Nunzio Mirtillo, head of Ericsson in Southeast Asia, Oceania and India, says: “We are delighted to be collaborating with Bhutan Telecom on the deployment of 5G in Bhutan. 5G will undoubtedly serve as a socio-economic multiplier for the country. 5G with its best performance, ultra high speed and reliability will benefit consumers through use cases such as enhanced mobile broadband and fixed wireless access initially. Over time, we will see the emergence of many new transformative use cases in critical IoT, where the speed, latency and security of the 5G network will be key.
Ericsson and Bhutan Telecom
Ericsson has partnered with Bhutan Telecom since 2004, when the country’s first mobile network was rolled out. Since then, Ericsson has deployed 2G, 3G and 4G network technologies.
Bhutan Telecom also selected Ericsson as its Business Support Systems (BSS) Transformation Partner in 2016.
Ericsson and Bhutan Telecom have also deployed a disaster-resistant central emergency telecommunications network in Bhutan as a grant project of the Japan International Cooperation Agency (JICA). The basic emergency telecommunications network, which leveraged Ericsson’s digital services portfolio, provides users with seamless, seamless connectivity, even during natural disasters.
Ericsson currently has 145 commercial 5G agreements or contracts with communications service providers worldwide, 96 of which include live 5G networks.