Ericsson (NASDAQ: ERIC) announced today it will establish a new R&D site in France with up to 300 employees, accelerating 5G momentum in Europe. This site will focus initially on 5G software development and security, benefitting the global 5G ecosystem and leveraging on our collaboration with French customers.

A prerequisite for the future digital economy is a reliable, secure, and high-quality mobile network infrastructure. With 5G as the innovation platform, communication service providers will be able to help build the future digital society – expanding their operations from primarily mobile connectivity to new consumer and enterprise services.  

To fuel this development, Ericsson will open the new R&D site in early 2020, with a progressive ramp-up to increase its R&D presence to up to 300 employees. An initial unit will be established at Ericsson’s offices in Massy, France, part of Paris-Saclay, one of Europe’s largest innovation zones. This will provide access to a competence pool and foster industry and academic collaborations.

Fredrik Jejdling, Executive Vice President and Head of Networks, Ericsson, says: “We recognize the economic and technological importance of the French market and the country’s influence in Europe. The rich technology ecosystem and key competencies that are present in France are conducive to building 5G through a strong R&D presence in the country. This initiative will strengthen Ericsson’s 5G software portfolio, including enhancing security capabilities, especially for the French and European markets. It will also support our continued focus on Europe and bring the latest innovations to our customers.”

Ericsson currently employs 15,000 engineers in Europe: 60 percent of its total R&D staff. The company has 18 R&D centers in Europe including Finland, Germany, Hungary, Ireland, Italy, Poland, Spain, and Sweden.

As 5G rollout gathers momentum for service providers around the world, customer proximity is particularly relevant. In September 2019, Ericsson completed a SEK 500 million investment at its factory in Tallinn, Estonia, directly benefiting the European market.