Ericsson and MasOrange Announce Open RAN-Ready Partnership for European 5G Innovation

Ericsson (News - Alert) and MasOrange, a communications service provider in Spain, announced a five-year partnership to advance the rollout of one of Europe’s most expansive and modern Open RAN-compatible 5G Standalone (5G SA) networks. The collaboration will integrate Orange (News - Alert) Spain's and MASMOVIL’s networks, combining their infrastructure to create a unified, flexible network to support Spain's growing demand for enhanced 5G services.

The agreement will enable MasOrange to deploy Ericsson’s advanced network solutions, which include sustainable, cost-effective systems designed to boost network capacity and efficiency.

"This collaboration with Ericsson represents a decisive moment not only for MasOrange but also for the European telecommunications industry as a whole and the Spanish market, as we lead the development of Open RAN and lay the foundation for an open and programmable mobile infrastructure that will drive technological advances and sustainable growth," said Meinrad Spenger, CEO of MasOrange.

Ericsson will support MasOrange’s evolution toward an open, programmable network architecture that offers scalability and innovation in network operations. Massive MIMO, which brings together numerous antenna elements, enables greater data transmission by sending and receiving data simultaneously - significantly enhancing the 5G user experience across urban and rural areas.

As part of the upgrade, MasOrange will implement 5G Massive MIMO Time Division Duplex (TDD) technology, allowing more users to benefit from faster speeds and increased network capacity by transmitting data through multiple spatial channels. In addition, Ericsson’s energy-efficient systems will lower operational costs, making the network greener and more sustainable.

Along with technology upgrades, the project will also address network densification, adding new nodes and sites to improve network coverage, performance, and capacity. The goal is to meet the growing 5G demand in both high-density urban areas and rural zones, as well as in large venues like stadiums.

"With this agreement, we look at the future where high-performance and differentiated networks will be key to digitalizing enterprises and society. Our vision for the industry is based on open and programmable networks with capabilities that are exposed through network APIs and leveraged by an ecosystem of developers - driving rapid innovation and growth. We are very proud of being trusted by MasOrange to initiate this strategic execution in Europe for the development of the 5G innovation cycle,” said Jenny Lindqvist, Senior Vice President and Head of Market Area Europe and Latin America, Ericsson.