Ericsson sets Telkomsel on path to 5G with core upgrade

Telkomsel has announced partnering with Ericsson for a core upgrade that Indonesia's biggest telco says will leave it ready to handle 5G and Internet of Things scenarios for enterprises. Specifically, Ericsson will provide Telkomsel with new network virtualisation infrastructure, which when combined with its existing Cloud Packet Core, will form a "significant step" towards being 5G-ready, the Swedish telco said. "Cloud solutions will help meet the growing demand for new network services to enhance productivity and efficiency. Ericsson's NFVI solution is ready for 5G technology and IoT, which will be of use to all operators and enterprise customers," Telkomsel network cloud management vice president Ivan C Permana said. The benefits of 5G will range from reduced data transfer time, dedicated network slicing, to an optimal distribution of the network's core capabilities."