KUALA LUMPUR: Swedish telco giant Ericsson, which has been named as a leader in 5G technology, says its global support centre in Malaysia will be 5G ready to serve the needs of the country and the region.

The centre in Malaysia is among Ericsson's largest support centres globally.

"Ericsson is here in Malaysia for the long term and we're looking forward to accelerating Malaysia's digital transformation journey," David Hagerbo, Ericsson president for Malaysia, Sri Lanka and Bangladesh said.

He said this in a statement today to announce that Ericsson has been named as a leader in the recently released 2021 Magic Quadrant for 5G Network Infrastructure for Communications Service Providers (CSPs) report by Gartner.

"Ericsson has a long-term commitment to shaping the global 5G eco-system as we see 5G as a platform for innovation which will transform the way people live and work and empower nations," he said.

The global support centre currently services 2G, 3G and 4G equipment-related activities.

"We have powered all generations of mobility in Malaysia -- 2G, 3G, 4G and more recently, we were the first to trial 5G in Malaysia, together with our customer Celcom Axiata."

"The trial, which was conducted on the 28 GHz band, was also the first in Southeast Asia and represented an important milestone in the country's journey towards 5G," he said.

This is much like Ericsson's commitment to Malaysia, where the telco has been present since 1965, delivering the benefits of mobile broadband to the country.

Ericsson's long-term commitment in Malaysia ties in neatly with the launch of the MyDIGITAL initiative by Prime Minister Tan Sri Muhyiddin Yassin in February.

The digital initiative which among other focus areas includes bringing forward the plan to roll-out the next generation mobile technology 5G and enhance the country's digital connection and positioning the country as a digital leader.

In launching the initiative, Muhyiddin stressed it is a game changer as more smart services with direct impact will be made available for the well-being of the people.

Hagerbo said: "Our investment in Malaysia's future includes the Ericsson Innovation Centre for 5G (IC5G) in Universiti Teknologi Malaysia, the first centre of its kind in Malaysia, where we have been conducting research, seminars, training, hackathons and showcases.

""Our 56-year presence in Malaysia has helped us develop very strong local experience in the areas of Radio Access Networks (RAN), core networks and managed services supporting Malaysia as well as the region," he said.

Elaborating on the report by Gartner, he said it recognises Ericsson as the leader for its "Ability to Execute" and "Completeness of Vision". The assessment of ability to execute included Ericsson's products and services, market responsiveness and track record, marketing execution, customer experience and overall viability.

"This independent recognition of Ericsson as a global leader in 5G reflects the confidence service providers have shown in us to roll out and manage their 5G networks. Ericsson currently has 132 5G agreements and has enabled the launch of 79 commercial networks across 40 countries to date.

"Our significant investments in 5G have ensured that we have the very best products, solutions, skills and field personnel, so we are able to meet our customers' needs and can deliver when they or a country embarking on a roll-out, need it," he said.

-- BERNAMA