Ericsson and DNB said they will collaborate for use cases enabled by end-to-end network slicing

Ericsson and Malaysian state-run 5G network Digital Nasional Berhad (DNB) have announced plans to collaborate on 5G-Advanced (5G-A) technology, the former said in a release. 

The commitment to collaborate in the 5G-A field was formalized with the exchange of a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) during MWC Barcelona 2024, taking place this week in Barcelona, Spain.

The Nordic vendor noted that the collaboration will focus on enhancing the 5G experience and accelerating digital services for consumers, government and enterprises, including offering on-demand services. This will be done by introducing enhanced radio access network (RAN) functionalities coupled with AI intent-based operations, the vendor added.

Ericsson and DNB said they will collaborate for use cases enabled by end-to-end network slicing, high reliability and low latency features for public events such as live video broadcasting, industrial surveillance and industrial automation applications.

The partnership will also seek to drive the adoption of 5G for enterprises across Malaysia.

David Hägerbro, head of Ericsson Malaysia, Sri Lanka and Bangladesh said:”The next phase of 5G capabilities will allow businesses of all types to reap the benefits of enhanced mobility, flexibility, reliability and security. Malaysia’s 5G network is ready for 5G-Advanced and new use cases that emerge.”

”DNB has successfully accelerated the 5G deployment to cover 80% coverage of populated areas by the end of 2023. We will continue to work with Ericsson to upgrade DNB’s 5G network with the latest technology as standardized by global standard 3GPP,” said Nasution Mohamed, COO of DNB.

In September 2023, Ericsson said it had successfully carried out tests on Malaysia’s 5G network deployed by DNB for what it claimed to be the first implementation and validation in Southeast Asia of Ericsson’s pre-commercial Reduced Capability (RedCap) software.

The vendor said that the tests were carried out in collaboration with MediaTek, using its 5G RedCap test platform in Malaysia.

RedCap is a new radio access network (RAN) software solution that enhances existing 5G use cases and enables new ones for devices such as smartwatches, other wearables and industrial sensors by lowering complexity and extending battery life. Some of the main benefits of RedCap include reduced device chipset cost, lower complexity and less power consumption while delivering higher data rates comparable to LTE Cat-1 to LTE Cat-4.

DNB was set up by the Malaysian government in 2021 as a special purpose vehicle to develop the country’s 5G network infrastructure, which private telecommunications firms would use to offer 5G services to their customers. DNB’s 5G network was deployed by Ericsson.

In May 2023, the Malaysian government announced it will enable the deployment of a second 5G network in 2024, adding that a new entity will be created to manage Malaysia’s second 5G network.