The deployment of 5G networks in Taiwan will be faster than those in most countries in Europe once the nation's 5G spectrums are auctioned, according to Chafic Nassif, president of Ericsson Taiwan.
Taiwan's comprehensive supply chain for the telecommunication industry and consumer demand for fast network communication will help push local telecom service operators and end-market device makers to thrust into 5G deployments, Nassif explained.
Ericsson has been helping local companies speed up their 5G-enabled devices to the market by offering interoperability testing services, Nassif noted.
Ericsson is optimistic about the development of 5G networks, Nassif said. The company now expects the number of global 5G users to reach 1.9 billion in 2024, an increase of 27% as compared to the number of 1.4 billion it forecast in November 2018.
The global penetration rate of 5G networks is expected to reach 45% by the end of 2024, and up to 65% if the existing 4G LTE bands are optimized to support 5G technology via dynamic spectrum sharing (DSS) technology, Nassif noted, citing company data.
According to Ericsson, global mobile data traffic grew by 82% on year in the first quarter of 2019, and global mobile network traffic is expected to reach 131EB a month by the end of 2024, with 35% transmitting through 5G networks.
Ericsson has been keen to develop its 5G equipment business in line with the fast deployments of 5G networks by telecom operators, Nassif stated, noting that the company has secured 47 contracts concerning 5G networks construction globally.
He added that the over three million base stations which the company has been shipping since 2015 can also be upgraded to support 5G technology.
Ericsson is currently collaborating with local telecom operators including Chunghwa Telecom (CHT), Far EasTone Telecommunications (FET), Taiwan Mobile and Asia Pacific Telecom to explore the business opportunities for offering 5G services to the enterprise sector, Nassif revealed.
Ericsson Taiwan president Chafic Nassif
Photo: Michael Lee, Digitimes, August 2019
Article translated by Steve Shen
