Ericsson and Telefónica Germany have announced the extension of their core network partnership. This collaboration, involving Ericsson’s dual-mode 5G Core and cloud infrastructure solutions, currently supports mobile connectivity for 45 million O2 Telefónica subscribers. It spans multiple network generations including 5G Standalone (SA), 5G non-Standalone (NSA), 4G, and 2G.
The renewed agreement aims to enhance innovation and functionality within the core network to meet future demands. According to Mallik Rao, Chief Technology & Information Officer of O2 Telefónica, the partnership is set to evolve with a focus on network slicing, automation, and API access. Rao emphasized that this progression will enable the rapid deployment of new features without the need for maintenance breaks, marking a significant step towards creating the network of the future.
Daniel Leimbach, Ericsson’s Head of Customer Unit for Western Europe, highlighted the success of their ongoing collaboration. He noted that delivering a cloud-native core network for Telefónica’s 45 million subscribers has been a challenging yet rewarding endeavor. The flexibility and innovation achieved through this partnership have laid a solid foundation for future advancements.
The partnership has already yielded notable benefits for customers. In May, Ericsson and Telefónica completed a groundbreaking In-Service Software Upgrade (ISSU) of network functions within the core network’s user plane. This upgrade, performed without any downtime or service disruption, showcases the advantages of a cloud-native core network.
Further underscoring its commitment to cloud-native transformation, Telefónica Germany recently announced a significant milestone. The company plans to migrate one million of its 5G customers to Amazon Web Services (AWS) cloud infrastructure, becoming the first operator globally to achieve this feat. This move signifies a major leap forward in the ongoing evolution of Telefónica’s network capabilities.
