Ericsson will partner with telecom distributor Telarus to market a 5G-ready virtual workspace solution to small and medium businesses in the US.

The new offering, called Ericsson Wireless Office, includes licensed apps, cloud storage, shared folders and 5G-ready communication tools.

The subscription service is meant to allow businesses to add workers quickly, without investing in new hardware, fiber, security software, or IT personnel. Customers also have the option to bring their own licensed apps to the service.

Subscription starts at around $100 per employee, per month.

Ericsson is expected to announce at least one US operator as a carrier partner for the service by the end of June and marks the latest effort by the infrastructure giant to diversify from its core network offering.

Distributor Telarus brings 4,000 technology consultants to the partnership. Telarus CEO Adam Edwards said that remote-work and hybrid-work models are becoming the “new norm”.

Ericsson estimates that roughly 6 million small and medium businesses could be potential customers for its new solution. The vendor said that roughly 40 per cent of the US workforce is employed by small and medium businesses, adding that companies can also use this technology to extend their applications to contractors, partners, and vendors.