How can 5G lead to a more connected world? It’s a question that few consumers think about a we go through our daily lives. Yet, for Ericsson, the multitude of ways 5G has can make life easy preoccupies how they see the future. From sports to business, gaming to transportation, Ericsson is creating a world connected by AI, virtual reality, automated logistics, the Internet of Things, and advanced robotics. Though few outside the technology sector know about 5G, it can change everything. Its seamless low latency, faster data rates and sheer ability to connect everything is already beginning to transform the way our society operates and thrives.
For one example of 5G’s potential to change the world we can look to sports: a space where Ericsson’s innovations are already causing a lot of positive disruption. An athlete’s performance is impacted by numerous variables – from humidity to wind speed and pitch dampness. By gathering data on these factors and combining it with data collected from the player – such as fatigue, training load and heart rate – Ericsson empowers coaches and athletes to improve their performance. Teams like Paris Saint-Germain are already using technology to track how external variables can impact an athlete’s recovery, fitness, fatigue, and training capacity.
“Nowadays, technology and sports go hand in hand,” says Paris Saint-Germain striker and medical student Nadia Nadim, who features in the film. “When you see our daily lives in the club, you would realize how much we use technology.”
5G performance isn’t limited to the athlete. Ericsson also improves the experience of fans – those at the event and those at home – to enjoy a deeper, more connected game. Imagine a more tactile, immersive perspective through which viewers can actually feel an athlete’s or singer’s heartbeat during a game or performance. Ericsson enables Virtual Reality, 360-degree video, and 4K streaming over its 5G networks to make an experience come to life. In big stadiums and sold-out concert venues, the demand is such that the technology and bandwidth need to keep up with the user experience. Ericsson is transforming these spaces to provide the coverage of the future.
Ericsson laid out its vision for the future in detail by joining forces with innovators who are already pushing the boundaries of what’s possible. Its new global campaign film, “Unleash the Power of Easy,” opens with the Deafblind author and disability rights advocate Haben Girma in the front seat of a self-driving car before diving into an immersive gaming experience with gaming pioneer “AtomicMari.” In other appearances, renowned computer scientist Danica Kragic appears on a screen operating a pair of robotic hands, and artist KIDDO stage dives into a cheering crowd while being streamed online in 4K.
The film, shot in a single take, highlights the different use cases for advanced 5G networks that are being deployed by Ericsson across industries in 2019. The global campaign film is also accompanied by seven distinct “Tech Hero” films, which feature key Ericsson figures delving deeper into the technology driving change within the campaign’s featured industries.
Ericsson’s brand promise, “The quest for easy,” is rooted in its pursuit of creating communication technology that’s easy to adopt, use and scale.. Throughout the company’s 140 year history, Ericsson has driven innovation in networks, digital services, managed services, and emerging businesses. It has one of the strongest IP rights portfolios, with more than 49 thousand patents. Its IoT, 5G and automation technology is simply the next iteration of its vision for the future.
The company has already played a pivotal role in making 5G networks a commercial reality. Ericsson rolled out the first of them, with commercial 5G live networks in the United States, South Korea and Switzerland. The company has also deployed operational 5G networks on specific commercial equipment in the Middle East, Australia, Asia and Europe. And, it has announced commercial 5G deals with 18 operator customers, including Verizon, AT&T, T-Mobile and Sprint in the US.
In addition, the company recently announced the opening of D-Fifteen, a new co-creation center at Ericsson’s Silicon Valley facility. Ericsson is committed to driving innovation at this incubator, which will host partners and customers pursuing innovative ideas and thought leadership. One of the initial projects hosted at D-Fifteen includes the D-15 IoT studio, where engineers test connected Internet of Things technologies together in one 5G-enabled facility. Another is the D-15 Labs, where partners can “pressure test” multi-layered networks that form the core of the 5G experience.
