Swisscom is using the Ericsson Radio Dot System to offer indoor 5G to enterprise customers within a 10 km radius, from one centralized location.
A new feature enables Swisscom to use fiber and hybrid fiber cables to deliver power and data to active indoor antennas (Radio Dots) from the Indoor Radio Unit (IRU) and extend cable reach from 300 m to 10 km. The extended cable reach that comes with fiber-based rollouts supports more flexible deployment options, including remote IRU placement in instances where it may be difficult or expensive to keep equipment locally on premises.
The first fiber deployment was made in a Swisscom store near Bern, Switzerland. A Radio Dot was connected to a shared IRU hundreds of meters away in a central office using existing fiber infrastructure.
Mark Düsener, Head of Mobile Networks, Mobile Services & B2B Telco, Swisscom, says: “High-performing indoor 5G is key to full scale societal digitalization, and Ericsson’s new indoor fiber capabilities boost the capacity and coverage of Swisscom’s leading 5G network. With more flexible in-building deployment options, we can provide more small-to-medium enterprise customers with fast and reliable mobile connectivity, with less equipment.”
Nils Andersson, Head of Indoor, Ericsson, says: “Swisscom has been a true frontrunner in the 5G market, indoors as well as outdoors. With this latest addition to their toolbox, they can continue to expand their 5G footprint while reducing total cost of ownership and increasing operational efficiency. It’s always exciting to help our customers tap into the opportunities that the small-to-medium enterprise market presents.”
