Ericsson's Vestberg: The U.S. should lead on 5G -- but we'll be leading no matter what
FierceWireless
October 26, 2015
Ericsson (NASDAQ: ERIC) CEO Hans Vestberg said he hopes the United States will continue to lead on the development of 5G network technology and build on the lead it had in deploying LTE. However, he said that as a vendor Ericsson needs to be out in front on crafting 5G networks, which he expects to be deployed commercially before official standards are set.
Some in the U.S. have fretted that the country is not doing enough to retain its leadership role on LTE and is ceding ground to Europe and Asia in the development of 5G networks. However, AT&T Mobility (NYSE: T) CEO Glenn Lurie said last week the U.S. "should not be nervous" about public relations blitzes coming out Europe and mostly Asia on 5G development.
Vestberg said that with 5G the entire industry needs to be thinking about ecosystems much more than in the past and that the U.S. has a large ecosystem of Internet companies and device makers that are "very important" to the wireless world. Ericsson, he said, will be working with all regions on 5G.