Mr. Jejdling, the mobile communications trade fair MWC has just ended. What will you take away from Barcelona?
Thiemo Heeg
Editor in business.
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The big question for everyone is how to monetize 5G networks.
So it's about how to make money with it?
Agrees. It is a critical infrastructure. It's now about how customers use them. In the top 20 markets where we've launched 5G, there are actually a lot more mobile broadband applications where people are taking advantage of the higher speed and security on their smartphones.
What does 5G do for you?
5G itself is a cost-effective technology. It offers much more capacity, compared to 4G sites by a factor of ten. You have more spectrum, and that brings a total energy saving of more than 30 percent. This is important in view of the high energy prices in Europe. It would not be sustainable to continue with 4G growth. With 5G, fiber can be replaced by cellular connections. Fixed Wireless Access, FWA for short, is currently growing strongly in the US market, where there is great dynamism, unlike in Europe. In India, households are connected to the Internet via mobile phones. 5G therefore offers use cases that go beyond pure mobility. Mobile networks are a critical infrastructure. Like the highways in the past, people today are building the digital highways.
Who will benefit most from 5G?
5G isn't really complex, but it offers numerous possibilities. 5G is an innovation platform. There are many applications, for example in the field of production. We use 5G ourselves at our manufacturing site in Dallas, Texas, for example. We have a green production factory there. 5G ensures that productivity is twice as high as usual. You are much more flexible, there are no cable connections, there are robotic vehicles that can pick up and transport goods very precisely. This is the next generation in terms of production. In Germany, for example, we are supporting Audi and Mercedes with the technology, and there are further industrial tests with major partners in the country.
How far has 6G progressed?
To be honest, my thoughts revolve around 5G. We have to make it a success. Of course, there is another number in the industry, which is 6G. But this technology is at the stage of research and technological cooperation, as is common with global technologies. That takes time.
But you need to have an idea of what 6G looks like and what it can do.
It will offer a more immersive internet, the internet of the senses, as we call it.
So the basis for the much-discussed metaverse?
5G already offers this.
When is 6G interesting for you, if not now?
Of course, we are already working on it. But the absolute majority of the 32,000 employees in our network division are thinking about 5G and its applications.
You have been working for Ericsson for 17 years. Now 8500 jobs are to be cut. Is this one of the most difficult phases in the company's history?
Job cuts are always difficult. The 8500 jobs are part of the previously announced savings of 9 billion crowns. The majority of this is attributable to product sales. It's about automating processes more. It's not just about laying off employees, it's also about things like real estate after Covid. A company needs to keep an eye on many things at all times. Of course, it's difficult when you have to lay people off, but we have to remain an efficient company. And we must not reduce our R&D efforts.
How important is R&D to you?