Ericsson unveils new solutions to broaden broadband access

Swedish communication technology firm Ericsson on Tuesday unveiled new solutions to bring mobile broadband coverage to people who are under-served or are without mobile broadband access.

The new solutions include software and hardware additions to Ericsson Radio System, and provide the capabilities to reduce the total cost of ownership by up to 40 per cent when rolling out Ericsson's total site solution for mobile broadband.

"Ericsson continues innovating so that operators can create viable business even in rural or off-grid settings, and to make the most difference with every investment," said Arun Bansal, Head of Business Unit Network Products at Ericsson, in a statement.

To complement deployment of the solutions are new mobile broadband tools, which allow operators to identify which sites in a GSM/EDGE coverage area have the highest number of users who already have internet-ready devices.

Operators can then determine where it makes more sense to convert those sites first to HSPA or 4G/LTE, so that the large number of people will enjoy the benefits of mobile broadband. The new solutions will make mobile internet investments in low-ARPU (average revenue per user) markets viable, the company said.