M1, one of Singapore’s leading Mobile Network Operators, has signed a Memorandum of Understanding with Ericsson (NASDAQ: ERIC) to boost the capacity and performance of M1’s IP and microwave networks using the AI-powered Ericsson Transport Automation Controller. This is the world’s first live network deployment for combined IP and microwave networks supporting advanced Artificial Intelligence and Machine Learning capabilities.

As part of the MoU, M1 will use Ericsson Transport Automation Controller to carry out a proof of concept for IP and microwave use cases on its network. This is part of M1’s efforts to enhance capabilities of 5G and meet growing demands for a high-performance 5G Standalone (SA) network that delivers higher bandwidth, lower latency, and a more resilient underlying transport connectivity.

M1 has built an extensive transport network with Ericsson Router 6000 IP nodes and links and a combination of fiber and MINI-LINK microwave connections that can support the nationwide 5G SA network.

To achieve better and quicker insights of its 5G network performance for faster connectivity and reduced lag time, M1 chose Ericsson Transport Automation Controller to do a proof of concept for both IP and microwave use cases by the last quarter of 2024. By doing so, M1 and Ericsson will add realtime observability and SDN automation capabilities to the transport network.

Ericsson Transport Automation Controller is an intelligent, cloud-native transport controller that uses Artificial Intelligence and Machine Learning to analyze and automate microwave, IP and optical networks. It enables data-driven decisions thereby ensuring that service providers stay ahead of the challenges that can impact network status and performance. It also enables precise data analysis to help communication service providers understand why certain issues occur and what trends and performance anomalies happen in the network, enabling proactive network control such as preventive maintenance.

The transport controller, which is AI driven, instantly pinpoints degradations, capacity utilization, and synchronization issues, and provides insights on how to optimize the overall network performance while reducing human errors and troubleshooting time.

Mr Denis Seek, Chief Technical Officer, M1 said, ”M1 aims to deliver more value to users by deploying the latest technology in our network as we continue to modernize our 4G and 5G mobile transport network by bringing in advanced automation capabilities and AI. With the Ericsson Transport Automation Controller, we aim to deliver even higher quality network performance and prepare the network for even more customers with advanced 5G Standalone use cases. This extended collaboration is also part of M1’s effort in driving our company-wide automation and AI goals."

Mr Daniel Ode, Head of Ericsson in Singapore, Philippines and Brunei, stated, “Ericsson is delighted to extend its partnership with M1 and provide them with our Intelligent Transport Automation Controller, which enables real time insights from both the IP and microwave networks and helps M1 unveil the full potential of their 5G Standalone network by using modern, AI enabled technologies.“