Swedish vendor Ericsson announced the opening of a 5G core (5GC) excellence center to serve the Middle East and Africa region.

The new facility will serve as a focal point for innovation, collaboration, and the advancement of 5G technology in this region, the vendor said in a release.

Through “interactive demonstrations and use cases that exemplify the real-world applications of 5G technology,” Ericsson said it will leverage its new center to showcase the “immense potential” of 5G for both end-consumer services such as fixed wireless access, cloud gaming and enterprise offerings, including those in media and entertainment and public safety. 

The 5GC excellence center will enable customers to “delvethe future of 5G networks with a spotlight on cloud-native architecture,” the vendor said, adding that customers will also be able to explore the automation capabilities integratedits 5G products and how it is facilitating options such as container-as-a-service (Caas) rolling upgrades for better operational efficiency.

Lucky La Riccia, vice president and head of cloud software and services at Ericsson Middle East and Africa, said: “The Ericsson 5G core excellence center provides a conducive environment for collaboration and innovation and is well-positioned to support our customers in their 5G monetization journey through demos and practical consumer and enterprise use cases. We are committed to providing the resources and support needed to develop and commercialize innovative products and services. The launch of Ericsson’s 5G core excellence center is a significant milestone, and we are confident that it will be a valuable asset to the Middle East and Africa.”

A 5G lab, which is part of the new excellence center, is equipped with advanced 5G Standalone (SA) infrastructure and high-speed networking equipment; it also offers a collaborative workspace to bring together developers, system integrators and industry experts to collectively explore the capabilities of 5G technology while building innovative 5G use cases.

The lab will also serve as a launchpad for commercialization and deployment of 5G technology across the region, Ericsson said.

“The Ericsson 5G core excellence center will allow us to collaborate with partners and customers to develop and test innovative 5G applications that empower businesses, industries and individuals to thrive in the era of connectivity.  We look forward to seeing the innovative solutions that will be developed in the 5G Lab and we are confident that these solutions will drive innovation in the region,” said Said Zantout, head of operations support systems for core and cloud at Ericsson Middle East and Africa.

In the market area consisting of the Middle East and Africa, Ericsson reported sales of SEK 6.5 billion ($594.2 million) in the third quarter of the year, climbing 14% year-on-year.

“Sales adjusted for comparable units and currency increased by 10% year-on-year  primarily driven by the next wave of 5G investments in countries in the Middle East,” Ericsson said in its earnings report.