Ericsson announced that it has established a Centre of Excellence(CoE)and Innovation Lab for 5G in India at the Indian Institute of Technology(IIT) Delhi. It was inaugurated by the Minister of Communications (I/C)and Minister of State for Railways, Govt. of India, Manoj Sinha. First of its kind 5G Innovation Lab, Ericsson sets up this for Indian industry and academia to leverage.

Manoj Sinha, Minister of State for Railways and Communications, says, “I would like to congratulate Ericsson for taking the lead in terms of setting up the first 5G Center of Excellence and Innovation Lab in the country. The 5G Center of Excellence supports the Government’s plans to foster a robust and vibrant 5G ecosystem in India. We want India to be an active participant in the design, development and manufacture of 5G-based technologies, products and apps. I would therefore like to urge the industry, academia, students and start-ups to leverage the Ericsson Innovation Lab to develop new 5G-based apps and business models that could potentially lead to better agricultural

yields, better healthcare, smarter cities, more efficient manufacturing and enhanced lifestyles. We need the entire eco system to work together to make 5G a reality in India over the next 2-3 years.”

According to Ericsson, 5G enabled digitization revenue potential in India is expected to be $27.3 billion by 2026. However, Indian telecom operators can make extra revenue of $13 billion or if they take up roles beyond connectivity and infrastructure providers to service enablers and service creators. Sectors like manufacturing, energy and utilities will get the largest opportunity followed by public safety and health sectors. With the introduction of 5G technology, Industrial control, automation, autonomous driving, safety and traffic efficiency services, hospital applications and medical data management amongst others.

Borje Ekholm, President & CEO, Ericsson, says, “Ericsson is leading 5G standardization globally. The 5G Center of Excellence and Innovation Lab aims to stimulate the 5G ecosystem in India. We would like to unleash the creativity and innovation of the Indian industry, academia and entrepreneurs to fully leverage and make 5G a reality in India.”

It was Ericsson who conducted India’s first 5G over the air beam tracking demonstration on 3.5GHz spectrum using a pre-commercial end-to-end system including 5G-NR, VRAN and VCORE. Demo included 3GPP 5G NR Multiple – Input Multiple – Output(MIMO)antenna technology with adaptive beamforming and beam tracking techniques to provide robust and sustained mobile broadband communications. Results were spectral efficiency enhancement and gains for capacity, cell edge throughput.

Prof.V. Ramgopal Rao, Director, IIT Delhi, says, “We at IIT Delhi are committed to collaborating with industry and Government to develop technologies that enable connectivity for millions. We take pride in hosting the Ericsson Center of Excellence and Innovation Lab, thereby playing a pivotal role for the industry and academia to come together, test out new technologies and explore the full potential of 5G.”