Ericsson introduces first step toward heterogeneous mobile broadband networks

During next week's Mobile World Congress in Barcelona, Spain, Ericsson (NASDAQ:ERIC) will showcase a mobile network radio solution called antenna integrated radio (AIR) that integrates the antenna into the radio unit to cut energy consumption and installation time.

Ericsson said the multi-standard solution allows operators to smoothly introduce new technologies and frequency bands to their networks by adding the solution and swapping out existing antenna. The vendor said operators also benefit from reduced cost thanks to shorter installation times because AIR has fewer units and fewer interconnections compared with traditional site solutions.

According to Ericsson, field trials in customer networks showed a reduction of integration and installation time of up to 30 percent. In addition, the field trial demonstrated that the solution provides reduced power consumption of up to 42 percent, mainly due to reduced feeder loss and simplified cooling.

"We are experiencing a tremendous take off in mobile broadband and the user expectations on speed and coverage are increasing the demands on the networks. In order to cope with the future capacity demands, we have a clearly defined small cell strategy. I am proud to announce that the AIR architecture is the first stepping stone toward a heterogeneous network," said Ulf Ewaldsson, vice president and head of product area radio with Ericsson, in a release.

The AIR solution will be commercially available in the second half 2011 and is a result of a strategic partnership between Ericsson and antenna vendor Kathrein.

For more:
- see this release

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