Ericsson embraces 5G edge opportunity with new Local Packet Gateway

Ericsson unlocks new 5G edge use cases with the launch of the Local Packet Gateway as a pre-integrated solution, providing easier and faster time-to-service for communication service providers (CSPs) to deploy new enterprise services

·New Ericsson solution provides optimized dual-mode user plane footprint designed for on-premises and edge applications

·For CSPs it means lower cost for infrastructure deployment and a lifecycle management highly optimized for the edge

Ericsson launches the Ericsson Local Packet Gateway the enabling CSPs to unlock innovative edge opportunities in both hybrid private networks segments and on the network edge, to support high-data bandwidth and low-latency use cases. The Ericsson Local Packet Gateway is an all-in-one appliance – including hardware, Container-as-a-Service (CaaS), software and lifecycle management – that makes edge applications easy to deploy and manage.

The optimized cloud-native user plane and service functions will enable new 5G edge use cases. It has a very compact deployment in a one-server low footprint, with integrated lifecycle management enabling fast time-to-service for new edge use cases.

The Ericsson Local Packet Gateway brings dual-mode 5G Core user plane and network slicing to the edge, enabling both mobile broadband and enterprise use cases, from small user plane deployment in a CSP core network, to routing to local applications. Examples of CSP enterprise use cases include sport events applications, virtual reality (VR) gaming and augmented reality (AR) for inspecting factory quality.

Laurent Leboucher, Orange group CTO & Senior Vice President Orange Innovation Networks says: “At Orange, we continue developing meaningful networks to adapt to the needs and uses all over the world. According to enterprise customers’ needs, a first option is to create a virtual private network on Orange’s public network. A second solution is to create a hybrid private network relying on shared equipment in the Orange network and dedicated equipment at the customer's site for critical flows and data. Ericsson’s 5G Core for standalone, including the Local Packet Gateway help us meet both these enterprise customers’ needs.”

Monica Zethzon, Head of Solution Area Packet Core, Ericsson, says: “With the launch of the Ericsson Local Packet Gateway we have taken yet another step in supporting our CSP customers to address the enterprise market, by providing a powerful, slimmed-down user plane that’s easy to deploy at the edge, using an integrated lifecycle management making it easy to scale.”

Caroline Chappell, Research Director, AnalysysMason, says: “CSPs want flexibility in deploying 5G private networks and delivering network slices and will therefore need a user plane solution that is fast and easy to install and manage on customer premises. Ericsson Local Packet Gateway, with its pre-integrated, appliance-based solution including in-built lifecycle management and a form factor optimized for the enterprise edge, will be familiar from a management perspective and help with time-to-service for new enterprise use cases.”