Ericsson has announced a strategic three-year neutral host provider (NHP) agreement with Advanced Communications and Electronics Systems (ACES), an international neutral host provider, aimed at the Saudi Arabian market.
This agreement will enable ACES to provide cutting-edge Ericsson indoor products to multiple communications service providers (CSPs) and cater to the growing demand for enhanced 5G network connectivity in Saudi Arabia.
Why is this an NHP agreement? As Ericsson notes, a neutral host is a company that owns indoor telecom network equipment and allows one or more CSPs to use that infrastructure to serve their customers.
With the rise of high-attraction landmarks and the need for network densification, the partners say, it has become crucial to provide reliable and high-performing indoor solutions for portability, agility and flexibility. The argument is that fostering multi-operator infrastructure sharing via neutral host provision to address rising demand for indoor connectivity will significantly improve user experience.
The NHP agreement allows ACES to provide Ericsson indoor 5G products to service providers, enabling them to share the same infrastructure. Rather than multiple rollouts – and the clutter, cost and complication that implies – this system ensures cost-effective coverage expansion and efficient utilisation of resources.
Thus, this agreement aims to establish a neutral host ecosystem, supporting CSPs in enhancing their indoor 5G coverage with flexibility and ease of operation and maintenance. It will also contribute to the footprint expansion of indoor 5G networks across the Kingdom.
By deploying its Radio Dot indoor radio system, Ericsson says CSPs can deliver high-performing 5G connectivity to users in large locations such as airports, hotels, hospitals, stadiums and shopping malls.
