Enabling high-performing

programmable networks
with Ericsson 5G
Advanced
September 2024
2 Ericsson | Enabling high-performing programmable networks with Ericsson 5G Advanced

Content

Content..........................................................................................................................................................2

Executive summary...................................................................................................................................4

The exciting journey of 5G......................................................................................................................5

5G Advanced is the key enabler for high-performing programmable networks...................6

From business intent to execution thanks to

AI-powered RAN .....................................................................................................................................8

5G Advanced in
open architectures.................................................................................................................................. 10

Define your path to high-performing programmable

networks with Ericsson 5G Advanced ............................................................................................. 11

Join the journey towards

high-performing programmable networks together with Ericsson ...................................... 12

Authors....................................................................................................................................................... 13
Ericsson | Enabling high-performing programmable networks with Ericsson 5G Advanced 3

5G Advanced is the new set of network

capabilities that will help communications
service providers (CSPs) achieve their goal of
high-performing programmable networks, with
more openness.
Ericsson offers 5G Advanced radio access
network (RAN) software solutions that will
support customer business objectives in areas
like performance, sustainability, automation
and new services.
It will incentivize service providers to accelerate
deployment and uptake of 5G standalone (also
known as 5G SA or SA) and empower service
providers to deliver differentiated connectivity
that will further monetize 5G.
4 Ericsson | Enabling high-performing programmable networks with Ericsson 5G Advanced

Executive summary

• CSPs have built strong networks in the first phase of 5G,

which improved user experience, supported new use
cases and helped grow Fixed Wireless Access (FWA)
business.
• CSPs have made substantial investments in building 5G
networks in terms of spectrum, mid-band expansion,
nationwide coverage, traffic steering and optimization
and introduction of new radio (NR) standalone.
• Ericsson’s view is that while the industry has yet to realize
the full business potential of this investment – 5G is still
on track to fulfill its promise. Balancing this, many CSPs
have yet to progress to a standalone architecture and
make the network fully ready for 5G Advanced and take
the technology to the next level.
• Moving towards enabling differentiated connectivity in
the industry is crucial to offering new services developed
directly by ecosystems around CSPs.
• With Ericsson 5G Advanced, our customers will get the
software they need to transform their 5G networks into
high-performing programmable networks that can
meet specific business goals such as increasing revenue,
reducing operational costs, leading in performance, and
setting apart user experience.
• Benefitting from increasingly open architectures, AI
coupled with automation and intent-driven networks,
Ericsson 5G Advanced can help translate business
objectives into RAN performance and sustainability.
Service-aware RAN software also offers different user
experience levels that can be measured and compared
with service level agreements (SLAs).
Ericsson | Enabling high-performing programmable networks with Ericsson 5G Advanced 5

The exciting journey of 5G

5G has been a commercial success in the five years since its It was also about making sure that we can capture the impact
launch, with the quickest adoption of any new radio access of connectivity in more areas of society and thereby unlocking
technology ever. It has greatly enhanced the individual user additional values from what connectivity provides to different
experience by adding more spectrum, boosting uplink and enterprises as well as providing new services for consumers.
downlink speeds, and improving the quality of network
5G Advanced will further enable an open network
services.
architecture and will fully focus on harvesting the great 5G
In recent years we have also introduced elements of Open networks that we have built in the last five years globally.
RAN architecture into 5G networks, to achieve another Ericsson’s view is that the industry has not seen anything
major transformation by shifting from vertically integrated near the full business potential of this 5G investment – so we
networks to open horizontal networks. are moving the entire industry to the next level on the way to
high-performing programmable networks.
However, when we started out with 5G, the intent wasn’t just
to improve established user experience for mobile broadband.
6 Ericsson | Enabling high-performing programmable networks with Ericsson 5G Advanced

5G Advanced is the key

enabler for high-performing
programmable networks

To make the most of 5G, we need a network that can perform

well and be adaptable – one where we can ensure consistent • Intent-driven networks will let CSPs interpret
and superior user experience at any time and place, and customer objectives - known as intents – and
influence network behavior to achieve a desired outcome – a perform RAN actions to meet those objectives. It
high-performing programmable network, where Ericsson 5G will simplify the complex processes and let CSPs
Advanced is the key enabler. communicate with the system more easily – CSPs
will say “what they want”, not “how”.
In the original 5G paradigm, networks were built out
with a slow feedback loop, observing traffic updates and • AI-powered RAN, where both AI and automation
performance and tuning and optimizing each site through will play a crucial role in realizing intent-driven
a service-led approach, addressing constraints within the networks, enabling RAN to understand the intents,
build-outs or improvements in in existing capacity. process vast amounts of data and make intelligent
decisions in real time. Real-time processing
Because we start by defining the outcome that we would
is essential for 5G Advanced, as we will bring
like to see expressed as a business goal, the logic for high-
AI-nativeness directly into our RAN Compute and
performing programmable networks is different. If we want
solve the problems with real-time information
to provide a minimum and consistent level of uplink and
for maximum network performance and energy
downlink performance for each user in this segment of the
efficiency.
network, the objective of the software is to make sure this is
carried out, and resources on every node are divided in such a • Service-aware RAN will enable rapid scaling of
way as to achieve this outcome, reporting back on the results. new use cases and customer needs, by being able to
adapt to the connectivity requirements of different
This has the potential to really improve the generation
services and ensuring that RAN can adjust in real
of revenue by the introduction of concepts such as
time to fulfil service requirements and provide
differentiated connectivity, where you can segment network
observability to support proof of delivery for each
performance and avoid the volatility typically seen when
operating on a best-effort basis. service.

Differentiated connectivity will bring the capability to shift

from a best-effort network, to one that enables SLA-based consistent level of uplink and downlink performance for each
connectivity with different performance needs. It will be user in a specific segment of the network. The software works
more about ensuring consistent quality and user experience, to make this a reality, allocating resources on each node to
targeted to specific needs, rather than promoting peak rate achieve the desired outcome and providing observability to
speed. understand if the goal has been achieved or not.

From a technology perspective, the key RAN capabilities 5G Network performance will continue to improve in 5G
Advanced will bring are intent-driven networks, AI-powered Advanced through innovations and advanced software
RAN and service-aware RAN. New network capabilities are features will enable extra coverage and capacity combined
in the offing, and increased levels of automation will make it with the ability to allocate resources with precision in real
possible to offer business models based on performance. time and to use live network data to drive decisions. This will
in turn offer best-in-class user experience, reduced churn,
These key RAN capabilities allow us to achieve very specific and additionally enable more services on the same network
business outcomes, such as providing a minimum and due to the increased network capacity.
Ericsson | Enabling high-performing programmable networks with Ericsson 5G Advanced 7

What is unique about 5G Advanced that enables it to achieve innovation and flexibility in the network. It will also integrate
a desired outcome in a much better way? with service management and orchestration platforms to
provide end-to-end automation and policy control.
As the next wave of evolution leveraging software-defined
enhancements and AI to optimize performance and deliver 5G Advanced embeds AI in the network for real-time
new services, 5G Advanced enables high-performing optimization, using AI to automate network operations and
programmable networks. optimize resource allocation based on business intents and
user demands. It will also provide observability and feedback
5G Advanced supports differentiated connectivity and
loops to measure and improve the network outcomes.
new use cases and will allow service providers to segment
network performance and offer predictable outcomes for Ericsson 5G Advanced will provide service providers with
different industry verticals and consumer segments. It will new and innovative software capabilities to turn their
also enable new services such as positioning, mission critical networks into a high-performing, programmable networks,
services, and RedCap (reduced capability) devices. tailored to meet specific business objectives – whether they
are revenue growth, operational expenditure reduction,
5G Advanced introduces openness and disaggregation in
performance leadership or user experience differentiation,
the network architecture, supporting open interfaces and
while supporting open architectures.
disaggregated hardware and software and enabling more
8 Ericsson | Enabling high-performing programmable networks with Ericsson 5G Advanced

From business intent to

execution thanks to
AI-powered RAN

Ericsson 5G Advanced makes it easy and scalable to networks. It enables RAN to understand the intents, process
convert business objectives to RAN parameters, ultimately vast amounts of data and make intelligent decisions in real
realized as intents, while ensuring service-level parameter time. Real-time processing is essential for 5G Advanced, as
outcomes can be observed and reported against service-level we will bring AI-nativeness directly into our RAN Compute
agreements (SLAs). and solve the problems with real-time information for
maximum network performance and energy efficiency.
Put simply, it is about translating intents into desired
behavior, reducing complexity via automation and providing This requires the combination of service-aware RAN and new
service differentiation. distributed real-time automation to realize intents through
AI, with observability towards SLAs, and also centralized
In this new framework, it is necessary to adapt the 5G RAN
automation via rApps through the Ericsson Intelligent
to make it more flexible to meet the business needs. For that,
Automation Platform in a non-real time closed loop.
AI-powered RAN plays a crucial role in realizing intent-driven
Ericsson | Enabling high-performing programmable networks with Ericsson 5G Advanced 9

CSP defines service types and 5G RAN intents

Weeks Service Management and Orchestration

Centralized

rApps
automation
Days
via rApps
non real time
Seconds
Intents and
Intents Observability observability

Milliseconds
Distributed
5G RAN
Intent handling User groups Observability
automation Service-aware
via RAN software RAN software
real time Microseconds 5G RAN

Figure 1: Adapting RAN behavior to fulfill business needs

To effectively address different use cases and customer the user in the network. In addition, the dynamic resource
needs, the RAN must deliver upon a range of SLAs. sharing is done every millisecond, and the service-aware
Service-aware RAN has two parts: capability is for any combination of user grouping framework
such as 5G quality of service identifier (5QI), slice and
1. Service-adaptive RAN functionality to ensure RAN adapts
subscriber group. This provides the ability to assign network
in real time to fulfil varying service requirements.
resources towards a business intent for multiple services in
2. Service-specific observability to ensure CSPs can monitor real time.
the SLA performance per service and take actions.

More than

85
In summary, it is about adapting the RAN behavior in real
time to fulfill business needs, automating as many of the
operations as possible, with the best possible performance,
energy efficiency and service-level assurance.

Ericsson 5G functionality is already well-prepared to adapt

the RAN behavior in real time and according to service
%
requirements, as more than 85 percent of all RAN features of all RAN features are
are service-aware and with that, service providers have service-aware
a comprehensive overview of the services being used by
10 Ericsson | Enabling high-performing programmable networks with Ericsson 5G Advanced

5G Advanced in
open architectures

Ericsson 5G Advanced will also make the RAN more This new approach will help to build the best high-
programmable by simplifying and scaling up the translation performing programmable networks, a stepwise shift to
of business goals to RAN execution. cloud-native RAN software that is multi-platform capable,
and a competitive hardware portfolio complemented by
To understand how 5G Advanced fits into the RAN open
partnerships.
architecture, let us begin with the horizontal industry logic,
and then look at Ericsson’s view on open architecture. Apart from the cloudification of RAN with a separation
or disaggregation of hardware and software, it is also
The industry is exploring alternatives to the traditional
complemented with improved intelligence and automation
setup, with networks divided into geographical regions with
in RAN, open fronthaul and open interfaces O1/A1 towards
vertically integrated stacks, towards a horizontal architecture
management and orchestration, and R1 towards third- party
with vendor diversity across the layers of the architecture
rApps. Ericsson 5G Advanced RAN software will incorporate
(including radio units), and a single vendor on the software
these aspects of the open architecture and help to unlock
layer.
openness.
Ericsson foresees that the logic for networks will become
The benefits to be realized include supply chain diversity,
more horizontal for greater value, with each layer having
solution flexibility and new capabilities that can increase
its own strengths based on the best industry capability. In
competition and further innovation. Ericsson sees automation
summary, from the bottom up, the horizontal layers are radio,
and virtualization playing a key role in future network
Cloud RAN/RAN compute, RAN software, and management
evolution and as a foundation for openness. Delivering this
and orchestration.
at scale means leveraging industry-wide cloud technologies
through collaboration with our partners and customers.

Service Management & Orchestration

2

Intelligent
Open management O1/A1 + R1 automation

5G Advanced software
1 3
Cloudification 5G software
with hardware Open
and software interfaces
Cloud RAN Purpose-built
disaggregation
Cloud platform
RAN Compute
General purpose HW

Open RAN fronthaul

Radio

Figure 2: 5G RAN Advanced in the open architecture

Ericsson 5G Advanced RAN software will also play a crucial role in the open architecture and
help to unlock openness.
Ericsson | Enabling high-performing programmable networks with Ericsson 5G Advanced 11

Define your path to high-

performing programmable
networks with Ericsson 5G
Advanced
Ericsson 5G Advanced RAN software will turn powerful 5G Ericsson understands that the 5G network evolution strategy
networks into high-performing programmable networks that for CSPs varies widely, and we want to provide a means to
deliver the desired results. introduce 5G Advanced in a flexible way so they can tailor the
opportunities based on their specific business priorities.
5G Advanced enables us to move from building powerful
networks to adding defined software. This means a network We believe that, in the long term, all components of Ericsson
that lets us make the most of our investment and offer new 5G Advanced will be beneficial in terms of achieving high-
services, create differentiated connectivity for new sectors, performing programmable network for service providers,
and add more services on top of that. It will also bring AI into and the path to maximizing the benefits of high-performing
the networks, which will greatly impact how we do things, programming networks is dependent on where the focus of
from making individual features more efficient to optimizing the service provider is, whether that be revenue generation,
and coordinating parameters based on outcomes and intents cost reduction or enhancing the user experience.
rather than scripts. This is a change in how you build, operate,
and run your network.

Revenue focus The goal here is to expand net sales, and Ericsson believes that the path of enabling
differentiated connectivity and launching additional new services, like RedCap on top, is the
- differentiated
right way.
connectivity and
new services This path is about transforming networks dimensioned for best-effort mobile broadband
(MBB) to ones that can provide differentiated connectivity and new services with consistent
performance levels and real-time observability.

Cost focus - CSPs are very concerned about how much energy they use and how much they affect the
environment, and they want to greatly reduce their carbon emissions. Also, it is important to
optimizing energy
balance the use of advanced energy-saving tools with the intent of user experience, using
consumption and existing solutions like Automated Energy Saver.
driving automation
AI, automation introduction, and the ability to control intents has the potential to
with AI
tremendously improve networks in terms of moving from scripted operations or manual
configurations into a more automated approach happening in real-time everywhere.
Embedding AI in real-time automation adds a very powerful and capable tool to work on the
problems at hand for each CSP.
12 Ericsson | Enabling high-performing programmable networks with Ericsson 5G Advanced

User experience Previously there has been a big focus on single-benchmark performance, but in the long
term what really matters for a large set of users is a lower level of volatility in the perceived
focus - consistent
performance levels throughout the network. The focus is still on increasing capacity
and premium network-wide, improving spectral efficiency and maximizing the return on investment of
performance newly added spectrum like mid-band, to improve the user experience.
The new paradigm is to transform service providers´ networks, designed to optimize cell capacity
from the lowest level to a network where performance solutions are offered to each user group
for each session, based on defined service provider intents.

Join the journey towards

high-performing programmable
networks together with Ericsson
Ericsson’s innovative 5G Advanced
software capabilities can support
service providers in meeting their
diverse business needs and attaining
their goals. The unique Ericsson 5G
Advanced solution to offer real time,
AI-powered RAN driven by intents will
enable high-performing programmable
networks – a real breakthrough.
Ericsson | Enabling high-performing programmable networks with Ericsson 5G Advanced 13

Authors
Dr. Sibel Tombaz
Head of Product Line Cloud & Purpose-built 5G
Radio Access Network, Ericsson.

Dr. Sibel Tombaz is responsible for the Profit and Loss (P&L) and life cycle of Ericsson’s
global 5G RAN product and is based in Stockholm, Sweden.

She leads her team in bringing innovative software solutions needed to successfully
develop and deploy best performing 5G networks to meet the needs of both enterprise
and consumer markets. These technologies continue to transform every sector and create
positive change benefiting not only customers but society in general.

Tombaz joined Ericsson in 2014 and held positions in research and product management.
She worked on 5G concept development, 5G use cases and energy performance of radio
access networks. She also initiated and introduced award-winning Ericsson Spectrum
Sharing solution which allows service providers to transition from 4G to 5G utilizing the
same spectrum band – which has never been done until now.

Tombaz holds a Ph.D. degree in communication systems from KTH Royal Institute of
Technology in Stockholm.

Gabriel Foglander
Head of Portfolio Management in Product Line Cloud
& Purpose-built 5G Radio Access Network, Ericsson.

Gabriel holds a Masters of Engineering and a Degree in Industrial Management &

Organization from the Royal Institute of Technology, Stockholm Sweden, and also studied
at Bond University, on the Gold Coast Australia. Gabriel is based in Stockholm, Sweden,
where he lives with his family. Outside of work, Gabriel is a youth football coach and enjoys
travelling, cooking, modern art, and spending time with friends and family.

In his previous role, Gabriel worked with Ericsson Open RAN offering, focused on the
introduction of Cloud RAN to the Networks portfolio. Gabriel joined Ericsson in 2016 and
has worked in commercial management, product development, and solution/technical sales
support, with a common focus and passion for enabling customer success. Prior to Ericsson,
Gabriel worked in both management consulting and engineering-driven companies focused
on mining and metals and industrial productivity solutions.
Ericsson’s high-performing, programmable networks provide
connectivity for billions of people every day. For nearly 150 years,
we’ve been pioneers in creating technology for communication.
We offer mobile communication and connectivity solutions for
service providers and enterprises. Together with our customers and
partners, we make the digital world of tomorrow a reality.

ericsson.com The content of this document is subject EN/LZT 1/287 01-FGB 101 0517 Rev A
to revision without notice due to © Ericsson AB 2024
continued progress in methodology,
design and manufacturing. Ericsson
shall have no liability for any error or
damage of any kind resulting from the
use of this document