Ericsson and Cisco are extending their strategic partnership to include a new Wi-Fi solution n0amed Evolved Wi-Fi Networks (EWN).
The joint offering combines Ericsson’s 3GPP access, core networks and applications with Cisco’s Wi-Fi portfolio, to provide reliable Wi-Fi with the highest performance to Ericsson’s mobile, cable and other industries customers. The design and deployment will be handled by Ericsson’s services organization, with full product support from Cisco. EWN can be offered as a fully managed service with the global reach of more than 180 countries.
Highlights include:
- Indoor Small Cells – Combining indoor Ericsson access networks with Cisco® WLAN enables deployment in venues of both Wi-Fi and cellular connectivity.
- Operator Wi-Fi – Allowing operators who have outdoor Ericsson access networks to use Cisco WLAN to offer access to their subscribers.
- Traffic Steering – Integrating Cisco WLAN with either Ericsson macro or indoor access networks via Ericsson’s unique Real Time Traffic Steering feature enables operators to steer users between mobile and Wi-Fi access networks, ensuring the best end-user experience.
- Core Network Integration – Integrating Cisco WLAN into Ericsson packet core using trusted configurations will allow operators to offer all their core network services over Wi-Fi for multimode devices. Ericsson’s highly successful Wi-Fi Calling capabilities already deliver seamless voice mobility over Cisco WLAN.
Rima Qureshi, Head of Region North America with responsibility for the strategic partnership with Cisco, Ericsson, says: “Our strategic partnership brings together the capabilities of two leading players in networking, mobility and cloud, creating the best end-to-end solutions and opportunities for our customers. By adding Wi-Fi solutions into the partnership, we will enable our customers to offer best-in-class Wi-Fi in their networks, complemented by our leading 3GPP portfolio and services organization.”
“With Wi-Fi traffic predicted to grow to 50 percent of the total IP traffic by 2020, a top priority for service providers is to deliver the best possible connected experiences to their customers,” said Yvette Kanouff, SVP & GM of the Service Provider Business Unit, Cisco. “Through our extended strategic partnership with Ericsson, we are committed to providing Wi -Fi solutions of the highest quality performance and reliability.”
