Australia's Telstra has contracted Ericsson as its key technology partner for its nationwide 5G rollout, which is already in process.
Telstra and Ericsson announced their partnership agreement at an event in capital city Canberra to mark the deployment of Telstra's 50th live 5G mobile base station.
The operator switched on its first 5G base stations in August, and has now upgraded sites in Canberra, Adelaide, Perth, Brisbane, Toowoomba and the Gold Coast.
Telstra and Ericsson are long-standing 5G partners, having completed a number of 5G milestones over the past 12 months such as the first end-to-end 5G non-standalone data call on a commercial mobile network, and the first to use a multi-vendor setup.
In February, the two companies also opened a 5G Innovation Center on the Gold Coast, and has deployed a world-first 5G enabled Wi-Fi hotspot precincts at the center.
“Telstra and Ericsson have continued to demonstrate industry leadership through ongoing innovation and collaboration with best in class partners needed to build an end-to-end 5G ecosystem,” Ericsson president and CEO Börje Ekholm said.
“Together we have put in place the fundamentals that will enable Telstra to succeed in 5G. Through our extensive collaborative efforts, we will ensure Australia is at the cutting edge of mobile technology.”