M1 in Singapore has signed a memorandum of understanding with Ericsson to boost the capacity and performance of the mobile network operator’s IP and microwave networks using the AI-powered Ericsson Transport Automation Controller.
According to Ericsson, this is the world’s first live network deployment for combined IP and microwave networks supporting advanced artificial intelligence and machine learning capabilities.
As part of the team up, M1 will use Ericsson Transport Automation Controller to carry out a proof of concept for IP and microwave use cases on its network.
This is part of M1’s efforts to enhance capabilities of 5G and meet growing demands for a high-performance 5G Standalone (SA) network that delivers higher bandwidth, lower latency, and a more resilient underlying transport connectivity.
M1 has built an extensive transport network with Ericsson Router 6000 IP nodes and links and a combination of fiber and MINI-LINK microwave connections that can support the nationwide 5G SA network.
To better meet users’ expectations for faster connectivity and reduced lag time, M1 chose Ericsson Transport Automation Controller to do a proof of concept for both IP and microwave use cases by the last quarter of 2024.
By doing so, M1 and Ericsson will add real-time observability and SDN automation capabilities to the transport network.
The transport controller, which is AI driven, instantly pinpoints degradations, capacity utilisation, and synchronisation issues, and provides insights on how to optimise the overall network performance while reducing human errors and troubleshooting time.
“With the Ericsson Transport Automation Controller, we aim to deliver even higher quality network performance and prepare the network for even more customers with advanced 5G Standalone use cases,” said M1 CTO Denis Seek. “This extended collaboration is also part of M1’s effort in driving our company-wide automation and AI goals.”
