Ericsson has launched a new programme it calls ‘Startup 5G’, which is designed to help CSPs mine the consumer potential of 5G. The programme will help them commercialise and monetise their 5G networks by introducing them to innovation partners and supporting the development of the B2C 5G business.
The first CSP to sign up is Three Ireland, which will be able to tap into Ericsson’s ConsumerLab research and analytical data, as well as gain access to a worldwide network of startups. The two companies already collaborate on opportunities in augmented and virtual realities, digital education, e-sports and other immersive media experiences.
Elaine Carey, Chief Commercial Officer (CCO), Three Ireland and UK, says: “Three Ireland is committed to providing our customers with a better connected life and we’re building a 5G network that delivers the very best experience regardless of where you are in the country.”
Jasmeet Singh Sethi, Head of ConsumerLab, Ericsson Research, says Ericsson are delighted to be working with Three Ireland and have it join their programme. He says they’ve already onboarded 20 5G startups and will double this by the end of 2021.
Omnisperience’s View
Omnisperience is pleased that Ericsson is investing in helping CSPs commercialise their 5G networks. While 5G offers great potential for service providers, this potential needs to be turned into products that customers want and are prepared to pay for. Ericsson’s assets make it ideally placed to help with this transition as it has both the network-level expertise as well as the BSS and OSS capabilities to provide the enabling infrastructure in both postpaid and prepaid markets. Added to this is its global reach which means it is able to identify and curate partners that can add value to CSPs’ core network offerings. This signals that 5G is moving beyond its bandwidth-centric messaging into the monetisation phase that will deliver much-needed new revenues to CSPs. Critical to this phase is to quickly identify and rollout innovative services that meet customer need today – particularly the so-called ‘low-hanging fruit’ that have mass appeal such as CCAPS.