Ericsson heralded a network-processing breakthrough with a portfolio of RAN compute silicon it stated would help operators to make the most of an increasingly diverse set of spectrum with a particular eye on 5G-Advanced and AI algorithms.

It unveiled a quartet of products spanning various levels of capacity for indoor and outdoor uses which it stated are also compatible with open RAN hardware.

The Swedish vendor stated the RAN Compute products would help operators “get the most out of current and future radio access technology evolutions”.

It stated the high-capacity RAN Processor 6672 and Radio Processor 6372 offer four-times the capacity of its previous generation and can run up to six 4G and 5G modes in a single unit.

Ericsson explained advanced 5G deployments currently use three-to-four modes in basebands.

The additional modes enable operators to run more technologies simultaneously on one RAN Compute board, including 5G TDD Massive MIMO, and 4G and 5G FDD.

Ericsson employs its own silicon built on a modular architecture which it said cuts power consumption by between 30 per cent and 60 per cent compared with industry benchmarks.

It uses Intel 4 technology.

Ericsson also added new high capacity, energy-efficient routers to its Router 6000 portfolio, with its 6678 and 6671 products featuring built-in intelligence for AI-analytics and automation.