Nordic network vendor Ericsson has announced plans to ramp up R&D investment in Japan.
As part of the plans, the company stated that up to 300 telecoms jobs will be created in the country.
The announcement follows a visit made to Japan by Ericsson’s president and CEO Börje Ekholm.
Ericsson has been operating in Japan for 40 years, since it entered the market in 1985. At present, the vendor employs more than 1,000 people in Japan, and has offices in Tokyo, Yokohama, and Sendai.
“Japan is known around the world for embracing emerging technology and being frontrunner adopters of new generations of connectivity,” said Ekholm.
“Ericsson’s intention is to invest in that pioneering Japanese legacy through advanced RAN R&D in 5G, and beyond, to benefit the entire telecoms ecosystem of partners, suppliers, and customers in Japan.”
Ekholm also referred to the next generation of mobile technology, 6G. In March, Ericsson signed a 6G and AI partnership with Japanese telco SoftBank.
The vendor is also working on 6G research with the Yokohama National University and the University of Electro-Communications.
“Our intent to expand R&D in Japan emphasizes how strategically important the market is to Ericsson,” he adds. “In addition to complementing ongoing Ericsson 6G-focused partnerships in Japan, it also highlights our commitment to work with all local stakeholders to deliver the benefits of open high-performing programmable networks.”
Ericsson stated that the RAN-focused investment in Japan will boost closer collaboration with suppliers and partners from the country.
Each year, Ericsson claimed it invested $5 billion in R&D globally.
Source – https://www.sdxcentral.com/news/ericsson-to-create-300-jobs-in-japan-commits-to-rd-investment/