Ericsson Introduces 5G Radio Dot

Ericsson is launching 5G Radio Dot, a small cell radio created to please the present indoor mobile broadband performance needs required by 5G.

Designing the elegant design of previous generations, the 5G Radio Dot takes less than half the time to install compared to other indoor solutions, and will support the new 5G mid-bands (3-6GHz) with speeds up to 2Gbps.

As a natural evolution of the Ericsson Radio Dot System, operators will be able to deploy 5G Radio Dot next to 4G solutions using the same cabling infrastructure, same network architecture and dot locations.

This innovative small cell solution provides a simple upgrade path for existing Radio Dot System deployments, adding 5G technology capabilities. It is easy to add frequency, capacity, and technologies.

The Radio Dot System has been successfully deployed for many indoor applications used in large areas such as office buildings, shopping malls, hospitals, and airports. Over time, the small cell solution will also support 5G industrial applications from connected factories to more extreme cases such as connected mining.

Ericsson is a pioneer on this front. Its collaboration with Boliden shows how Radio Dot technology can improve safety and efficiency through the remote control of machines that keep people out of the most dangerous areas of the mine at the most dangerous times.

The 5G Radio Dot will undergo trials in late 2018 and will be commercially available in 2019.

According to Ericsson ConsumerLab reports, 60 percent of mobile subscribers are unhappy with their indoor cellular connectivity. In January 2018 report, smartphone users rate better indoor and outdoor coverage among the top expectations from 5G.