5G Programmable Networks

Introduction

The 5G network was designed with the goal of opening network capabilities to deliver personalized services on-demand and create new revenue streams for operators. Ericsson's '5G Programmable Networks' product addresses these challenges by introducing the Global Network Platform (GNP), which opens up capabilities for applications (APPs), and an intent-driven end-to-end 5G network system.

The 5G Programmable Networks Help Operators Build a Differentiated, High-performance, and Open Network

The GNP platform opens up 5G network capabilities to applications through open APls, providing advanced 5G network functionalities to the global developer community. Developers can create enhanced services without knowledge of complex network technologies. The platform empowers applications to access specific network resources, such as service quality, speed, latency, and location. Currently, the platform has nearly 1.4 million developers, greatly enriching the GNP network API ecosystem. 

The intent-driven end-to-end 5G network, which includes newly designed 5G base stations, intent management platforms, intelligent operation engines, etc., leverages Al and LLM technologies to decompose and detect conflicts in intents. It enables millisecond-level execution from business intent to wireless resource scheduling, providing end-to-end differentiated experience assurance for applications. Ericsson's 5G products incorporate multiple international patented technologies and international standards. In situations where spectrum resources are limited and wireless environments are complex,real-time programming of the 5G network is realized,ensuring an optimal user experience.

This product establishes the foundation for operators to provide personalized services and create new growth opportunities.

The Open Ecosystem of 5G Programmable Networks Enpowers Operators to Explore Markets

Operators have a clear intention to monetize 5G networks. Ericsson predicts that by 2030, if operators proactively implement aggressive tiered pricing strategies and offer personalized network quality assurance services for applications, they could achieve a total direct revenue of $131 billion. Ericsson's programmable network provides the essential foundational support needed for operators to generate additional income.

If operators continue to expand into vertical industries such as healthcare,manufacturing, and autonomous diving through network APls in the future, McKinsey predicts that over the next five to seven years, network APls could generate approximately $100 billion to $300 billion in connectivity and edge computing-related revenue for operators.

As one of the founders of the international standard CAMARA, Ericsson has actively participated in 26 APl working groups and6 general working groups of CAMARA. Over 40 leading global operators have agreed to adopt Camara's API standards. Ericsson's GNP platform now boasts a developer community of 1.4milion, provides8 million software standard library files,and has released 59 SDK tools. GNP has served 120,000 commercial customers, forming a diversified API business ecosystem.

5G Programmable Networks are Widely Commercially Deployed Globally and Have Won Numerous International Awards

In 2023, Ericsson, in collaboration with its partners, won the Global Telecom Management Forum's (TMF) Best Innovation and Future Technology International Award for their Intent-Driven Autonomous Networks project.

In the same year, Vodafone utilized the GNP platform in the UK to broadcast the Royal Coronation Ceremony, providing global viewers with high-quality, low-latency streaming live coverage, while also offering uninterrupted connectivity to thousands of attendees on-site. Additionally, Deutsche Telekom's RTL Deutschland utilized 5G network slicing in television broadcasting, replacing the need for expensive and complex satellite broadcast vehicles to simplify mobile TV producion.

Ericsson's Al-driven, intent-based operational solution has proven successful in customer deployment trials. Malaysian operator Digital Nasional Berhad (DNB) successfully leveraged the technology to provide customers with performance-guaranteed, customized 5G services. In collaboration with DNB, Ericsson was awarded the "Managed Service Mastery' prize at GLOTEL, recognizing the superior user experience and revenue driven by Ericsson's novel intent-based operational engine for DNB. This Al-powered intent-based operational engine has also been adopted by operators such as Australia's Telstra, Spain's Telefonica, Canada's ROGERS, and Sweden's Telia.