Taste of Barcelona: Highlights from Mobile World Congress 2013

• Ericsson predicts growing subscriptions for LTE; smartphone shipments to exceed 50%; and mobile internet users will exceed fixed internet users by end of 2013
• New solutions for Networked Society focus on superior network quality and performance, improved end-customer experience, and operational excellence
• Ericsson unveils Ericsson Cloud Systems, its cloud-based solution roadmap to deliver better performance, end user experience, and new revenue streams for mobile service providers

At Taste of Barcelona 2013, held on 14 March 2013, Ericsson Malaysia presented a picture of what was unveiled at Mobile World Congress 2013 which included new products, services and solutions to support its customers in network evolution, process transformation and innovation and capturing growth opportunities.
At the briefing, new President of Ericsson Malaysia & Sri Lanka, Todd Ashton said: “Barcelona this year was busier than ever. But cutting through the noise and hundreds of announcements, we shared our key innovations to bring our Networked Society vision to life.”

“Given the demands for better connectivity and user experience, high quality video delivery as well as profitability in the industry, Ericsson identified 5 key drivers in shaping its portfolio strategy. These include Network Performance, Operational Excellence, Customer Experience, Growth Opportunities, and Telecoms & IT Convergence.”

Todd Ashton, President of Ericsson Malaysia & Sri Lanka, and Petra Schirren, Head of Engagement Practice - Mobile Broadband, Ericsson South East Asia & Oceania.

Also presenting at the briefing was Petra Schirren, Head of Engagement Practice - Mobile Broadband, Ericsson South East Asia & Oceania. Schirren said, “We launched the Antenna Integrated Radio (AIR) 32 which enables the smooth and cost-efficient introduction of LTE and HSPA without the need to add additional antennas or remote radio units to sites. Compared with existing AIR products, AIR 32 enables up to 70% higher throughput and up to 25% increased indoor coverage, it also allows multiple active frequencies in a single unit, enabling a 50% reduction of radio equipment.”

Ericsson Unique AIR (Antenna integrated Radio), provides a 3 dB+ advantage that provides operators many economic benefits related to the cost of providing coverage and running the network. Competitor ‘no edge’ networks require additional sites to overcome this advantage. AIR, provide superior radio performance and the compact integration of the radio unit in to antenna. AIR enables the smooth and cost-efficient introduction of LTE and HSPA without the need to add additional antennas or remote radio units to the sites. It improved the look of the sites, reduced Opex for operator and provide up to 70% higher data throughput and up to 25% increased indoor coverage.

At the Mobile World Congress, held in Barcelona, President and CEO of Ericsson, Hans Vestberg said, “By the end of 2013, more than 50% of phone shipments will be smartphones, driven by more affordable models,” predicted Vestberg, noting that users appreciate having apps and data seamlessly available on multiple devices. The cross-communication between machines, people, and content is changing the way we as humans behave, and the way service providers do business. Vestberg foresees that the industry will see more pricing models – tiered, shared, and bundled, as well as further expansion into digital services to find new revenues.

“As we have the internet in our pockets, our virtual and real worlds are coming together. Online interaction enriches our living, working and entertainment and breaks down barriers of time and place. By the end of 2013, there will be more mobile internet users than fixed internet users,” he said, adding another prediction that 2013 will be the year LTE subscriptions exceed 100 million.

With its high speed and capacity, an LTE network can enable delivery of high-quality content, especially video, without buffering.  The launch of LTE Broadcast is Ericsson’s new offering for operators and their media partners to capture new revenues, by providing premium services with guaranteed quality and cost-efficient delivery over LTE. Vestberg announced during the press conference that Verizon Wireless and Telstra are already signed on with the solution.

By the end of Q4 2012, Ericsson had supplied more than 60 live commercial LTE networks on all continents. About 50% of all smartphone traffic on LTE runs through Ericsson networks.

During Mobile World Congress 2013 in Barcelona, Ericsson showcased its combined technology and services leadership for the Information and Communications Technology industry.  Ericsson’s solutions deliver superior network performance in the field, enable complete customer experience management, simplify and automate operations workflows thereby leading to operational excellence.