French communications service provider, Bouygues Telecom, has joined forces with Ericsson to accelerate digitalization in France.
Per the deal, Bouygues Telecom’s consumer, enterprise, and industry customers will gain access to Ericsson’s end-to-end 5G Standalone (5G SA) core network. The duo had previously partnered on RAN connectivity.
Additionally, the strategic alliance between the two companies will see Ericsson deploy its cloud-native dual-mode 5G core.
Upon completion, the end-to-end 5G SA network will enable use cases across Bouygues Telecom's entire customer base, from consumer subscribers to enterprise customers, alongside other use cases requiring secure public, hybrid, or dedicated 5G networks.
Bouygues Telecom’s own 5G Standalone connectivity, through network slicing, will aid the extensive range of proposed use cases as the digitalization of France, and the shift toward the fourth industrial revolution (4IE) accelerates.
According to reports, services resulting from Bouygues-Ericsson’s 5G network partnership may be available as early as 2023 for industries including, logistics, smart transport, events, and healthcare.
“This agreement with Ericsson, a long-standing partner, heralds the implementation of a key step for Bouygues Telecom in the deployment of 5G, said Benoît Torloting, Bouygues Telecom CEO.
“This 5G Standalone core network will enable us to offer our consumer and enterprise customers the best of technology from 2023 on. Bouygues Telecom is proud to support them in their digital transition with the quality and security of its network."
