Strategic partnership between Vodafone Romania and Ericsson for 5G deployment

• Vodafone Romania awards Ericsson as 5G radio access network (5G RAN) partner. As part of the six-year agreement, Vodafone Romania will also use Ericsson’s RAN technology to further modernize its existing mobile network.
• Vodafone Romania customers will benefit from faster connectivity speeds, low latency, and more reliable and secure network performance.
• 5G deployment will accelerate Romania’s digital and green economy transition. The new partnership redefines connectivity standards in Romania and is part of Vodafone's in-country investment strategy to support the potential of Romanians, entrepreneurs and communities.

Vodafone Romania opens new opportunities for upgrading its current infrastructure and for 5G deployments by awarding Ericsson (NASDAQ: ERIC) as a key 5G radio access network (RAN) partner with the mission of bringing 5G benefits to consumers and enterprises. As part of the six-year agreement, Vodafone Romania will also use Ericsson’s RAN technology to enhance its existing mobile network which means that Vodafone Romania customers will benefit from faster connectivity speeds, low latency, and more reliable and secure network performance.

The partnership is part of Vodafone Romania’s multi-year investment plan for infrastructure upgrade and development, in line with the company’s mission to help enable the digital society.

Nicolae Vîlceanu, Chief Network Officer, Vodafone Romania, says: “In support of a digital society, building a future-ready, secure, energy-efficient network is crucial. The partnership with Ericsson gives us the technological fundamentals in our endeavor to stand alone 5G networks with tremendous impact for our customers: residential users, companies and authorities, in terms of speed, low-latency, diversity of use cases. It is also helping us upgrade existing RAN infrastructure in order to provide fast, reliable services in the transition to stand alone 5G and harness our potential as a services innovator for the digital, green society we envision. All this investment is part of our promise for Romania and Romanians: to create a new standard of connectivity and invest in the unlimited potential of Romanians and local communities.”

Dragos Mircea Rebegea, Country Manager, Ericsson Romania, says: “Ericsson is at the forefront of high-performing and energy-efficient 5G networks, and this acknowledgement marks a new era in the partnership between Ericsson and Vodafone Romania. We are building a network of the future that will not only offer superior connectivity for Vodafone Romania consumers but also deliver an innovation platform that can enable to transform industries and pave the way to a more connected digital society. “

5G RAN products and solutions from the Ericsson Radio System portfolio, including Ericsson Antenna System will be deployed as part of a smooth and fast shift to 5G that will accelerate the digital transformation of Romania society.

Ericsson's 5G RAN portfolio also includes Massive MIMO technology, which enables communication service providers to capitalize on mid-band 5G spectrum. And with a unique approach to energy optimization, Ericsson's latest generation of radios and basebands (RAN Compute) will also improve Vodafone Romania’s current network energy consumption.