Ericsson to modernise and expand Cellnex Poland's 5G network
Cellnex Poland has selected Ericsson as one of its suppliers for the modernisation and expansion of its 5G radio access network. The scope covers radios, RAN compute modules, microwave links, antennas and enclosures, and several of the products are being deployed at scale for the first time.
The equipment is based on Ericsson's own chips and is designed to deliver better energy performance, a smaller physical footprint and lower tower load than earlier generations, according to a press release from Ericsson. Cellnex Poland's infrastructure is used by operator Polkomtel, which sells mobile services under the Plus brand.
Cellnex becomes the lead customer for Ericsson's new high-power E-band microwave radio, MINI-LINK 6356, used for high-capacity backhaul. It is also carrying out the first large-scale deployment of Ericsson's Transport Automation Controller, which uses AI to automate management of the microwave backhaul. In addition, the AIR 3229 radio, which combines two frequency bands in a single unit, is being introduced in Poland for the first time. Cellnex has also selected Ericsson's energy and enclosure platform for its sites.
"The growing demand for mobile data transfer requires not only the modernisation of active equipment. It also needs an increase in quantity to densify the service while, at the same time, improving energy efficiency, equipment optimisation, network resiliency and environmental effects," says Leszek Lis, Director for Operations and Member of the Management Board of Cellnex Poland.
Ericsson has around 2,000 R&D engineers in Kraków and Łódź, and its production for the European market takes place in Tczew, Poland, together with contract manufacturer Flex.
