Verizon is the first recipient of a US-manufactured commercial 5G base station from Ericsson’s new smart factory in Texas. The contact-free delivery was captured in this short video. The equipment is the first 5G base station produced by Ericsson in the US.
“Ericsson’s smart factory is a cornerstone of our collaboration as we work together to bring 5G to our consumer, enterprise and public safety customers,” said Kyle Malady, chief technology officer of Verizon. “Together these types of innovation will accelerate our 5G deployments, as we expand our 5G leadership in technology and continue to rapidly build the ecosystem with our partners.”
The 5G base station delivered to Verizon is the millimeter-wave Street Macro solution, part of Ericsson’s 5G portfolio for its North American customers. All radio-access components are housed in one lightweight enclosure, allowing for the rapid growth of 5G coverage in complex city environments, according to its maker.
Fredrik Jejdling, executive vice president and head of networks, Ericsson, said, “As the most advanced platform for innovation, 5G will enable a transformation across enterprises—as we’re now experiencing in our own smart factories. Automation and remote operations have become more important, and we’re working with our customers to make them available for the benefit of industries. From producing the first 5G base stations at our 5G USA Smart Factory earlier this year, we’ve made our first commercial delivery to Verizon. That’s just the beginning.”
The 300,000 square-foot factory began commercial operations in March and will be fully operational by the end of the year. It produces 5G and Advanced Antenna System radios to boost network capacity, and the facility itself is outfitted with fast and secure 5G connectivity to enable agile operations and flexible production.
