The new facility will train technicians and other specialists for the deployment of 5G in the U.S
Ericsson has opened a new training center in Lewisville, Texas, becoming the largest U.S. facility for the Swedish vendor.
The goal of the new facility is to train more technicians, tower climbers and specialists in the skills necessary to deploy 5G technologies in the U.S.
“Our goal to lead in 5G depends on providing quality installation, rollout and other services,” said Niklas Heuveldop, head of Market Area North America (MANA) for Ericsson. “To do this, we need to recruit and train the best teams to support customers’ ambitious 5G plans. This facility is the heart of those plans.”
The Lewisville Center of Excellence, which is just over than 26,000 square feet, will provide field services training and support for Ericsson employees and partners, the vendor said; trainees will learn the skills needed to support Ericsson’s customers, as well as to roll out and maintain the systems that will bring 5G to the U.S. and Canada. Those include operator-specific courses taught by industry experts on topics from site installation to integration; radior base station installation, tower and rooftop installation; microwave alignment; deployment and network integration for 3G, 4G and 5G technologies; and virtual site support, according to Ericsson.
“Our focus is to build the best field crews in the business,” said Tim Armstrong, a Center of Excellence lead trainer. “Our training team knows how critical our tower climbers are to the business, and we focus on creating the best program to help them do their jobs efficiently and safely.”
The facility, which will have seven full time employees, is scheduled to open sometime in the next few months. At a recent ribbon-cutting and tour of the facility, Heuveldop and Head of MANA Networks Kevin Zvokel were joined by Federal Communications Commissioner Brendan Carr, Congressman Michael Burgess (R-Texas) and Head of Business Area Networks Fredrik Jejdling.
The Swedish vendor is actively involved in development and deployment of 5G technology with US carriers. In September 2018, AT&T announced that Ericsson is one of its technology suppliers for the operator’s nationwide 5G network. Last year, AT&T also announced a successful 5G data transfer in Waco, Texas over millimeter wave using standards-based, production equipment with a mobile form factor device, utilizing a Qualcomm Technologies’ smartphone form factor test device and Ericsson 5G-New Radio capable radios.
Verizon, along with Ericsson and Qualcomm Technologies, also announced the completion of an end-to-end call with a smartphone form factor test device on a commercial 3GPP 5G New Radio (NR) network in Minneapolis.
In September 2018, Ericsson and T-Mobile announced a multi-year, $3.5 billion contract to support T-Mobile’s nationwide 5G network deployment. Under the deal, Ericsson will provide T-Mobile with the latest 5G New Radio (NR) hardware and software compliant with 3GPP standards. The contract also encompasses Ericsson’s digital services solutions, including dynamic orchestration, business support systems (BSS) and Ericsson Cloud Core, enabling T-Mobile to rapidly launch innovative and groundbreaking 5G experiences to customers.
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