MasOrange and Ericsson reach strategic 5G core agreement to advance new services for subscribers

MasOrange, Spain's leading Communication Service Provider (CSP) by customer base, and Ericsson (NASDAQ: ERIC) have reached a strategic agreement to deploy a unified 5G Standalone (SA) Core that will serve all the MasOrange Group’s brands. This collaboration aims to drive the development of new 5G services to benefit its customers.

This milestone marks the culmination of the technological integration following the merger between Orange and MASMOVIL, consolidating a converged and more robust network architecture within a unique, highly efficient cloud-native environment. This integration establishes one of the most advanced networks in Europe, ensuring the best experience for its customers.

With this initiative, MasOrange achieves three key objectives:

• Completing the Group’s technological convergence: By unifying its Cores onto a single platform, the architecture is simplified, complexity is reduced, and long-term efficiency is improved.
• Accelerating 5G monetization: The new core network and monetization capabilities enable unique services, opening new revenue streams in sectors like industry, automotive, logistics, public administration, and digital entertainment.
• Consolidating MasOrange’s leadership as one of Europe’s most innovative CSPs: Ericsson’s solution, one of the most advanced 5G Cores on the market, will enable MasOrange to move toward increasingly autonomous networks supported by automation, advanced analytics, and cloud-native functionalities.

A technological innovation to deliver advanced services for customer benefit

The new, unified 5G Core provides a highly significant growth platform and will accelerate the development of new services for residential customers and, especially, for businesses and public administrations.

It will enable the launch of 5G SA services with advanced network capabilities and the opening of functionalities via APIs to third parties – key elements for developing services and new business and industrial models that will help companies improve productivity and efficiency. Thanks to this agreement, MasOrange customers will benefit from:

• Improved network quality and stability: The network will deliver low latency, greater reliability, and the ability to adapt performance to the specific needs of each service. Additionally, it will offer more stable service by enabling quicker responses to any network issues.
• Advanced 5G SA services: Examples include augmented reality, streaming gaming, immersive video calls, massive IoT services, or critical connectivity for Industry 4.0 requiring high network capacity and speed.
• Personalized experiences and tailored services: With slicing and multi-slicing on the same device, businesses will have access to dedicated network slices with guaranteed quality for corporate use or real-time video transmission on the same device. Residential customers will enjoy smoother, faster, and more secure applications.
• An open innovation ecosystem: Companies and developers will securely access advanced 5G network functionalities via APIs, leveraging these features to create their own applications and services.
• AI use cases based on network intelligence: This new architecture will maximize AI-based use cases leveraging network intelligence.

The partnership includes leading Ericsson solutions that will help MasOrange modernize its network and enhance customer experiences:

• Ericsson dual-mode 5G Core: Enables more efficient mobile data traffic management.
• Cloud-native Subscriber Data Management: Allows real-time personalized services for customers, improves IoT-connected device management, and strengthens privacy.
• Ericsson Charging and Billing Evolved: Unifies charging processes into a single tool, reducing the time to launch new 5G-based offers while providing simpler user experience. Built on Google Cloud, it allows for greater agility in scaling and updating services.
• Ericsson Expert Analytics: Provides advanced intelligence to analyze and automate network operations, enhancing the end customer experience.

The agreement also includes a nationwide upgrade of Ericsson Cloud Native Infrastructure for most Core applications, reducing energy consumption, costs, and environmental impact. This reinforces MasOrange’s commitment to efficiency, sustainability, and innovation.

The 5G Core capabilities developed by Ericsson in Spain, and globally, are a key element in supporting this alliance, combining local and global knowledge and experience with Spain's leadership in next generation connectivity.

Additionally, Ericsson will provide Level 3 support with a team of experts familiar with MasOrange’s network, ensuring agile and precise resolution of any 5G SA Core incidents.

“With the unification of the 5G Cores, we are once again leading innovation in Spain by offering our customers one of the most advanced networks in Europe. This project is a decisive step in our vision to deliver next generation 5G services and enhance our customers’ experience,” said Meinrad Spenger, CEO of MasOrange.

Christian Leon, Head of Ericsson West Europe, said: “Together with MasOrange, we are creating a unique and flexible platform that enables new service models, drives operational efficiency, and unlocks the full potential of 5G. By making this transformational leap, MasOrange and Ericsson are stepping forward as the backbone of Spain’s digital infrastructure.”