Recently, there are market rumors that Ericsson has laid off 240 employees in China as part of its business adjustment in China, mainly affecting the Chinese R&D center. It is reported that the company plans further layoffs in the coming months.

According to Jiemian News, Ericsson stated that the layoffs are aimed at aligning the company’s efforts to diversify its R&D footprint to better align with its global sales. An Ericsson spokesman said employees in the “Core Network” R&D department were affected by layoffs.

Ericsson’s sales in 2023 will be 263.4 billion Swedish krona (approximately 174.6 billion RMB), a year-on-year decrease of 3%. Ericsson Chief Financial Officer Carl Mellander said in an interview in January this year that the company may further consider cost reductions this year, which may include Layoffs.

According to previous reports, in response to the news of layoffs last month, Ericsson said, “Ericsson is enriching its R&D team globally to get closer to business and users, while improving the flexibility and cost efficiency of software design. Ericsson will continue to adhere to its Chinese users’ commitment is not to withdraw from the Chinese market.”

The post Ericsson confirms layoffs in China, affecting “core network” R&D department appeared first on TechGoing.

As part of the agreement, Intel will also create highly differentiated leading products for Ericsson’s future 5G infrastructure, and will leverage Intel vRAN Boost for Ericsson Cloud RAN (Radio Access Network) solutions to optimize 4th generation Intel Xeon Scalable processors, helping communication service providers increase network capacity and energy efficiency, while gaining greater flexibility and scalability.

According to Intel, this 5G chip will be built based on Intel’s most advanced manufacturing technology, the Intel 18A process, which is the first time an external customer has used this technology.

Intel and Ericsson did not give a specific timetable, but Intel has previously stated that Intel 18A technology will be ready by 2025.

Intel has lost its lead in making advanced semiconductors to rivals such as Samsung and TSMC. An important plan announced by Intel CEO Pat Gelsinger in 2021 is to launch five generations of chip manufacturing processes within four years in order to regain the leading position and reverse the company’s current situation.

In a press release, Intel emphasized that the announcement signals confidence in 18A technology and underscores the progress Intel has made on its four-year, five-node roadmap in an effort to regain its technological leadership and restore its former glory.

Note: Intel18A is the most advanced process node on Intel’s four-year five-node roadmap, based on a new gate-around transistor architecture (RibbonFET) and back-end power transmission (PowerVia) technology.

Intel says it will deliver Ribbon architecture innovations and higher performance in 18A while continuing to reduce metal line widths. The combination of these technologies will allow Intel to regain leadership by 2025.

The post Intel announces partnership with Ericsson to build 5G chips with Intel 18A technology appeared first on TechGoing.

▲ Picture source Ericsson

David Hammarwall, head of Ericsson Networks Products, said: “Ericsson will improve the connectivity of all devices under 5G, from consumer wearables to industrial sensors, in a way that is both cost-effective and energy-saving, and promotes interconnection between ecosystems. Complement each other”

▲ Picture source Ericsson

DavidHammarwall also believes that “Thanks to Ericsson RedCap, communication service providers will be able to provide more available connectivity options for a wide range of consumer and enterprise use cases, including industrial environments utilizing FDD and TDD spectrum. The solution is more energy-efficient and more suitable for OEM equipment suppliers, helping them reduce costs.”

▲ Picture source Ericsson

After inquiry, it is learned that Ericsson’s technology is a technology that expands the 5G SA network, supports more devices to connect to each other, and forms a low-power 5G Internet of Things. Most of the devices do not need to bear the baseband power consumption. Use 5G.

The current Ericsson technology is expected to promote the development of more 5G cases after it is implemented. With its low power consumption capability, it can bring stronger battery life to smartwatches, tablet computers and other devices.

The post Ericsson launches 5G RedCap solution to improve device battery life appeared first on TechGoing.

Highlights of the first quarter earnings report are as follows:

 Group organic sales were flat compared to the same period last year. Organic sales in the Networks business were down 2%, as expected, due to lower carrier capital expenditures and inventory optimization. But this decline was offset by growth in other businesses. Overall sales reported an increase to SEK 62.6 billion.

 Total revenue excluding restructuring charges was up year-on-year at SEK 24.9 billion, mainly driven by the enterprise business, cloud software and services business. Reported total revenue was slightly higher than the same period last year at SEK 24.2 billion.

 Gross margin, excluding restructuring charges, was 39.8%, mainly driven by changes in the network business mix. Reported gross margin was 38.6%.

 Earnings before interest, taxes, depreciation and amortization (EBITA) excluding restructuring charges was SEK 4.8 billion. Earnings before interest, taxes, depreciation, and amortization (EBITA) amounted to SEK 3.8 billion.

 Net income was SEK 1.6 billion. Diluted earnings per share (EPS) was SEK 0.45.

 Excluding M&A transactions, free cash flow was SEK -8 billion. Cash flow is impacted by increased working capital. Net cash at March 31, 2023 was SEK 13.6 billion, compared to cash at December 31, 2022 of SEK 23.3 billion.

Ericsson said it was already accelerating its cost-savings program while identifying opportunities for an additional SEK 2 billion in savings, which is expected to reduce costs by SEK 11 billion by the end of the year. Taking into account the increased scope and cost of the European project, initial estimates of full-year restructuring charges could be around SEK 7 billion, more than half of which may be costed in the second quarter. By 2024, restructuring charges are expected to return to normal levels of approximately 0.5% of sales.

By the end of the first quarter, Ericsson had completed the sale of its IoT platform business, reducing the quarterly loss by approximately SEK 250 million.

For the second quarter, Ericsson expects Group EBITDA margins to be in the mid-single digits. A gradual recovery is expected in the second half of 2023, mainly as companies expect inventory adjustments to be completed and cost-saving measures to start to pay off on the income statement.

Ericsson is on track to reach long-term interest-tax revenue by 2024 with an expected recovery in the mobile network market, turnaround in cloud software and services, product mix realignment, R&D productivity improvements, IP revenue growth, and cost reductions by 2024 Lower end of target range for EBITDA of 15-18%.

The post Ericsson releases 2023 Q1 financial report: total sales of SEK 62.6 billion, up 14% year-on-year appeared first on TechGoing.

This 4CC carrier aggregation (CA) increases telecom operators’ 5G deployment options by aggregating different frequency bands.

Carrier Aggregation, or CA (Carrier Aggregation), has the unique ability to combine multiple frequency bands, and double the Internet access rate through multiple carrier bonding.

According to reports, in the Interoperability Development Test (IoDT), the two companies completed a 5G data call using one low-band and three mid-band channels in the sub-7GHz frequency range (FR1). Typically, most 5G data traffic is carried in this frequency range.

The higher throughput enabled by this 4CC carrier aggregation will provide smartphone users and fixed wireless access users (FWA) with faster download speeds and smoother video transmission, thereby enhancing the user experience. For telecom operators, Ericsson’s flexible carrier aggregation solution will enable them to maximize the use of available spectrum assets to deliver high-quality 5G connections.

The post Ericsson and MediaTek set new record for 5G downlink speed of 4.36 Gbps appeared first on TechGoing.

Image Source Pixabay

Industry applications in areas such as manufacturing, transportation, healthcare, entertainment and news production often require higher uplink capacity than the average individual mobile user. With a balanced mode architecture configuration, SingTel effectively varies uplink and downlink throughput and provides a higher uplink ratio for 5G millimeter wave, which in turn increases peak cell throughput on the uplink.

The trio achieved a maximum uplink rate of 1.6Gbps on 5G millimeter wave using a balanced frame architecture configuration combined with an uplink quad carrier on SingTel’s network using Snapdragon X65 5G modem-RF system driven test equipment.

The post Ericsson and Qualcomm join hands with operators to achieve maximum 1.6Gbps 5G uplink rate appeared first on TechGoing.

Ericsson
Ericsson originally reached a settlement with the U.S. in 2019, entering into a deferred prosecution agreement (DPA) with the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the Southern District of New York and paying a fine of $520.6 million (currently about RMB 3.597 billion). At the time, federal prosecutors in New York said Ericsson participated in a “years-long corruption campaign” involving bribing government officials in Djibouti, Vietnam, Indonesia and Kuwait, and falsifying books and records. In addition, the company paid a fine of about $540 million (currently about RMB 3.731 billion) to the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission.

However, the U.S. Department of Justice said Ericsson violated the agreement by failing to truthfully disclose “all factual information and evidence” related to the company’s bribery schemes in Djibouti and elsewhere. The company also failed to disclose potential evidence of a similar scheme in Iraq.

U.S. prosecutors said Ericsson violated the deferred prosecution agreement by using outside consultants to pay bribes to government officials in all of the various countries and by managing off-the-books “slush funds” that used “false contracts” and “false invoices “to conceal the nature of the funds. The U.S. Department of Justice said that Ericsson employees in China paid “tens of millions of dollars” to agents and consultants, “at least some of which was used to provide foreign officials with things of value, including leisure travel and entertainment. In Djibouti, an Ericsson employee paid more than $2 million in bribes to senior government officials in the country’s executive branch and Djibouti’s state-owned telecommunications company.

When the Department of Justice offered Ericsson the opportunity to sign a DPA to resolve an investigation into serious violations of the Foreign Corrupt Practices Act, the company agreed to comply with all of the terms of the agreement,” Assistant U.S. Attorney Kenneth Polite said in a press release. However, Ericsson has failed to honor this commitment by repeatedly refusing to cooperate fully and failing to disclose evidence and allegations of misconduct in violation of the agreement.”

Ericsson CEO Börje Ekholm said in a press release that with the company’s latest fine and plea agreement, “the breach has now been resolved.” “This allows us to focus on executing our strategy while driving continued culture change across the company, putting integrity at the center of what we do,” said Börje Ekholm, adding that “this resolution is a clear reminder of the historical misconduct that led to the creation of the DPA. “

In 2022, the International Consortium of Investigative Journalists (ICIJ) reported that Ericsson allegedly “sought approval” from the terrorist group Islamic State (ISIS) to continue its work in Mosul, Iraq. Mosul was controlled by ISIS at the time. The U.S. Attorney’s press release does not directly address the ICIJ report on Ericsson’s alleged dealings with ISIS but states that Ericsson “failed to timely report and disclose evidence and allegations related to its business activities in Iraq, which may have violated the Foreign Corrupt Practices Act.

Ericsson said in a press release that its internal investigation “did not conclude that Ericsson made, or was responsible for, any payments to any terrorist organization. The company said a subsequent investigation beginning in 2022 did not change that assessment.

The post Telecom giant Ericsson pleads guilty to bribery in U.S., fined $206 million appeared first on TechGoing.

Ericsson is introducing the Radio 4485, a tri-band FDD (Frequency Division Duplex) enabled wireless product that is 53% lighter and consumes approximately 22% less energy than comparable products. New dual-band and single-band wireless products are also available.

Ericsson also introduced a new range of wideband Massive MIMO wireless products, led by the industry’s first ultra-wideband AIR 6476. The wireless products offer 600MHz instantaneous bandwidth and double the capacity without increasing the antenna footprint.

Ericsson’s 600MHz Massive MIMO wireless products will also be unveiled, featuring Ericsson’s unique interference-aware beamforming, which can increase capacity by up to 40%. The software supports the full range of hardware products.

In addition, the updated portfolio includes new mobile transmission products. The new quad-carrier microwave product, MINI-LINK 6321, supports 4.8 Gbps of transmission capacity in the traditional 6 to 42 GHz band using a single system, designed to provide operators with an easier RAN evolution solution. The product reduces footprint and energy consumption by approximately 50% compared to previous solutions for building quad-carrier microwave links.

The new quad-carrier microwave products quadruple the transmission capacity and support MINI-LINK Deep Sleep.

The new portfolio also includes:

• Intelligent Cell Shaping: Ericsson’s unique intelligent automation software extends coverage and increases downlink speeds at the cell edge by 35%.
• Booster Carrier Sleep: Energy-saving software feature that turns carriers on and off based on traffic load.
• MINI-LINK Deep Sleep | MINI-LINK Radio Deep Sleep: This feature enables energy savings in mobile transmissions. The sleep portion of the feature reduces the energy consumption of wireless products by up to 25% when peak capacity is not required.
• Router 6676, the new cell base router, features a high-density 25GE interface, is three times more energy efficient than the previous generation router, and supports interfacing with Ericsson’s new Massive MIMO wireless products.

The new portfolio will be available in 2023 and the first quarter of 2024.

The post Ericsson to showcase 10 new wireless products at MWC 2023 appeared first on TechGoing.

Ericsson forecasts that global fixed wireless access (FWA) connections will grow faster than previously expected. FWA is expected to grow at an annual rate of 19% over the period 2022-2028, reaching 300 million connections by the end of 2028.

According to the data, about 110 million new 5G sign-ups were added worldwide between July and September 2022, bringing the total number of sign-ups to about 870 million. Ericsson previously reported that 5G sign-ups are still expected to reach 1 billion by the end of this year, and 5G is expected to reach 1 billion sign-ups two years earlier than 4G.

Ericsson said the statistics prove that 5G remains the fastest expanding generation of mobile technology, mainly due to the timely launch of 5G models by several vendors and their price drops faster than 4G phones, as well as China’s early large-scale deployment of 5G.

In addition, 5G continues to grow strongly in North America and Northeast Asia. By the end of 2022, 5G sign-up penetration in these regions is expected to reach approximately 35%. Nearly 230 operators worldwide have gone live with 5G services to date, and more than 700 5G smartphone models have been released or commercialized.

By the end of 2028, the report expects global 5G signups to reach 5 billion, or 55 percent of total signups. Similarly, by the end of 2028, 5G population coverage will reach 85% and 5G networks will carry approximately 70% of mobile traffic, making them a major contributor to all contemporaneous traffic growth.

The post Ericsson: 5G growing faster than any previous generation of mobile communications appeared first on TechGoing.

Ericsson said the 10-year program will help drive the development of next-generation 6G networks, which are expected to be commercially available around 2030.

We will build a team of 20 experienced researchers in the UK and will also provide funding for students,” said Katherine Ainley, CEO of Ericsson UK and Ireland. The initial focus will be on 6G networking and hardware security.” Potential universities for the collaboration are said to include the University of Surrey, the University of Bristol and the University of Manchester.

The new research team will complement Ericsson’s 17 existing research sites in 12 countries/regions, she said.

The UK government said Ericsson’s investment was a “huge vote of confidence” in the UK telecommunications industry, adding that the UK would soon publish a development strategy for 6G technology.

The post Ericsson to invest millions of pounds in 6G network research in the UK appeared first on TechGoing.