This week, Ericsson and British Telecommunication PLC (BT) signed a deal to deploy Ericsson's 5G Core on BT’s Network Cloud. 5G Core is a cloud native mobile packet core for 4G and 5G services.

This combined solution will incorporate automation and network orchestration, and will be managed using Ericsson Expert Analytics together with Ericsson’s built-in software probes. The solution will also help BT to provide new services to customers including mobile edge computing, enhanced mobile broadband, network slicing, vertical industry support, and advanced enterprise services.

In early April, Ericsson also won part of a 5G contract from China Mobile. China Mobile awarded contracts worth US$5.2 billion to Huawei, ZTE and Ericsson for the build out of 232,143 new base stations for the roll out of its 5G network.

Ericsson is not yet a major player in Edge Computing when it comes to IP, but it is certainly making a push. Major contracts such as these will help to fuel development, especially in a time where clear and consistent digital communication is vital in the world.