Ericsson bags 5G network, services rollout deal from Bhutan Telecom

Swedish telecoms gear maker Ericsson said it has bagged a 5G network and services rollout deal from Bhutan Telecom.

The deal covers 5G Non-Standalone (NSA) deployment including Ericsson Radio System products and solutions such as Ericsson Spectrum Sharing, Packet Core upgrade, OSS/BSS 5G enhancements, as per an official statement.

Eventually, Ericsson will help the Bhutanese telco to rollout 5G Standalone (SA) in subsequent years.

“We appreciate the Government’s reliance on telecom infrastructure to boost the country’s digital infrastructure. The introduction of 5G will boost digital services in the country and enable Bhutan to become a ‘digital society’,” said Karma Jurme, CEO, Bhutan Telecom.

“We are delighted to partner with Bhutan Telecom on deploying 5G in Bhutan. 5G will undoubtedly serve as a socio-economic multiplier for the country. 5G with its better performance, ultra-high speed, and reliability will benefit consumers through use cases like enhanced mobile broadband and Fixed Wireless Access initially,” added Nunzio Mirtillo, Head of Ericsson South East Asia, Oceania and India.

The Swedish company predicts that 5G mobile subscriptions will exceed 280 million by the end of 2021. Driven by one million 5G subscriber additions per day.

About 3.5 billion 5G subscriptions and 60 percent 5G population coverage are forecast by the end of 2026. This momentum is expected to continue in coming years, spurred by the enhanced role of connectivity as a key component of post-COVID-19 economic recovery.