Ericsson Launches 5GEx Project for Next-generation Mobile Development

Consumers may have 4G LTE on their minds, but many service providers are already searching for what is next. They want 5G and the versatility and speed it promises to provide. Ericsson is leading the charge with its new 5GEx project that it announced this week.

5GEX, Ericsson explains, is a collaborative venture between network operators to develop the next generation of mobile networking protocols and architecture. It promises to base this mobile networking in software – taking advantage of network functions virtualization – therefore allowing multiple vendors and network resource environments to play well with one another. Ultimately, this can benefit both operators and consumers by providing shorter time to market and tailored services that meet individual consumers’ needs.

Sara Mazur, the head of Ericsson Research, indicated the company’s excitement to begin this venture and noted the basic form it will take in the early rounds of development.

“A unified European 5G infrastructure service market will be a strong enabler for feature-rich services that can have a positive impact on people, business, and society,” Mazur said.

As that quote indicates, the scope of 5GEx will at least begin with a focus on European operators. Although many operators now have a global reach, companies that have their primary focus on Europe should be in line to participate. Surely, the technology will spread to other groups across the globe in years to come.

Aside from a focus on network functions virtualization, the project will also take open source initiatives to heart. For services to work across multiple domains, open source software will help operators build services to their needs without sacrificing interoperability with their fellow 5GEx partners. Such partners will also have the benefit of participating in a sandbox-style networking environment that provides for multiple network architectures and business models.

Readers should know, at least in the subconscious, that 5G is coming and that operators will stop at nothing to increase the reliability, time to market, and network speeds related to their services. Each operator may have the mindset of being the first major player on the scene, but cooperation like this can also be essential to the process of next-generation service creation. As this work develops, consumers stand to benefit greatly from the group of minds dedicated to making their mobile experiences even better.