Ericsson extends R&D deal in Saudi Arabia with focus on 5G, 6G

By Juan Pedro Tomás July 10, 2024

Collected at: https://www.rcrwireless.com/20240710/featured/ericsson-extends-rd-deal-in-saudi-arabia-with-focus-on-5g-6g

Ericsson said it has extended the collaboration with KAUST for an additional two years

Swedish vendor Ericsson has announced the extension of its research and development partnership with King Abdullah University of Science & Technology (KAUST) in Saudi Arabia for an additional two years.

Following the outcomes achieved in their initial three-year collaboration, Ericsson said in a release that the extension shows the commitment of both institutions to continue advancing cutting-edge technologies in telecommunications, including 5G and 6G, with specific emphasis on on-chip reflective intelligent surfaces and free-space optical communications.

Ericsson added that the collaborative research thus far has focused on machine learning for frequency-selective wireless channels, terahertz and free-space optical communications and transparent and flexible intelligent surfaces. Meanwhile, the new phase of the collaboration will focus on the next generation of telecommunication technologies, with a particular focus on on-chip reflective intelligent surfaces and free-space optical communications.

The European vendor noted that the partnership has also facilitated the exchange of knowledge and collaboration among students and researchers between KAUST and Ericsson Research in Sweden.

Pierre Magistretti, VP of research at the King Abdullah University of Science and Technology, said: “The extension of our partnership with Ericsson reflects our shared vision for pioneering the telecommunications landscape of tomorrow. Through this collaboration, we have been able to combine KAUST’s research capabilities with Ericsson’s industry expertise to produce groundbreaking scientific research.”

“Our efforts have not only enhanced our research capabilities but have also contributed significantly to the development of a skilled talent pool in alignment with Saudi Arabia’s Vision 2030. The next phase of our partnership promises even greater innovations, as we continue to explore the untapped potential of advanced telecommunication technologies,” he added.

“The initial phase of our partnership yielded significant advancements in telecommunication technologies, which have been crucial in pushing the boundaries of what’s possible in the 5G and emerging 6G space. As we move into the next phase of our partnership, our focus will remain on harnessing the full potential of next-generation technologies to further revolutionize connectivity and telecommunication technologies,” said Mashhour Al-Sudairy, head of local content at Ericsson Saudi Arabia.

In March, Saudi telecom group stc and Ericsson claimed they have achieved a record data uplink speed after collaborating on a 5G Standalone (5G SA) demonstration. The demo was conducted in a live network environment using Ericsson’s dual-mode 5G core system with an end-to-end 5G SA network.

Utilizing 5G New Radio Dual Connectivity, which allows a mobile device to connect to multiple access networks, the demo reportedly surpassed speeds of 4 gigabits per second (Gbps). This advancement increases the speed of data transmission between the network and devices, enhancing efficiency, reliability and coverage, the partners said.