Indonesia’s largest mobile service provider Telkomsel has selected Ericsson’s (NASDAQ:ERIC) NFV infrastructure (NFVI) core network technology for a major core network upgrade as it moves towards 5G deployment. Ericsson’s core network solutions will enable Telkomsel to improve speed, efficiency and agility for its current business and for future opportunities.

With increasing Radio Access Network (RAN) speeds and the growing need for low latency, service providers also face the need to evolve core networks to advanced and flexible architecture that includes distribution to the network edge.

The deployment of Ericsson’s NFVI (Network Functions Virtualization Infrastructure) solution, together with Ericsson Cloud Packet Core, is a significant step towards making Telkomsel’s network 5G-ready.

Telkomsel will benefit from scalable software architecture, reduced time to market for new services, lower total cost of ownership, and faster responses to changing consumer and enterprise demands.

Ivan C Permana, Vice President, Network Cloud Management, Telkomsel, says: “Cloud solutions will help meet the growing demand for new network services to enhance productivity and efficiency. Ericsson’s NFVI solution is ready for 5G technology and IoT, which will be of use to all operators and enterprise customers. The benefits of 5G will range from reduced data transfer time, dedicated network slicing to an optimal distribution of the network's core capabilities.”

Jerry Soper, Head of Ericsson Indonesia, says: “The technology-leading strength of Ericsson’s core network abilities continues to attract the attention of service providers globally as they transform their networks to 5G and IoT. We will work closely with Telkomsel in their evolution to 5G. As a key platform for 5G Core, our NFVI and Cloud Packet Core solution will help to meet the evolving needs of Telkomsel’s customers and enable the swift deployment of future new use cases and innovative solutions.”