Ericsson plans to add 15% to its R&D workforce

In line with its long-term focus to boost innovation, Ericsson, the leading ICT player is developing technology that is going to be the foundation for next generation networks, cloud infrastructure, and services. Bengaluru is a major R&D center in India for Ericsson which employs a 550 strong workforce, working on solutions for India as well as for global markets.

The company plans to further augment this facility this year by expanding its engineering base by around 15%. Ericsson plans to add to its workforce by hiring in the areas of Cloud, IP Routing, Network Function Virtualization (NFV), and Virtual Platforms. “This will help solidify our foundation and sharpen our focus in IP which continues to be an area of investment and growth for us“, states Sanjeev Tyagi, Vice President and Head of Ericsson’s Business Unit Cloud & IP, R&D India.

Under it’s IP Edge portfolio, the company is continuing to strengthen its Broadband Network Gateway (BNG) solution deployed on the Smart Services Router (SSR) platform, which helps drive adoption of video and cloud services through an increasingly connected home, offering the end-user a ubiquitously rich and personalized, connected experience. “The objective before the team is to build carrier grade IP routers and solutions which will help Ericsson build a leadership position in IP and we are intensely focused on achieving this objective”, Mr. Tyagi said.

In addition to the IP Edge portfolio, the Bengaluru R&D team has been making solid contributions in Software Defined Networking (SDN) technologies. SDN has been an area of rapidly growing interest among service providers and vendors alike and Ericsson has been very active on this front - putting out its commercial solution and engaging in trials with several global telcos. According to Mr. Tyagi, “The Controller forms the center-piece of the SDN solution and this team has performed phenomenally well in going from concept to a shipping product in a very short time”

While the product teams deliver high quality software to demanding customers, Ericsson’s research team in Bengaluru is actively working on technologies that will play a prominent role in the Networked Society of the future. “Our research team is developing advanced technologies in the areas of cloud , management and operations of emerging networks for 5G and the Networked Society”, states Mr. Tyagi.

Ericsson estimates that by 2020, there will be 26 billion connected devices in the world – Ericsson’s rich legacy and market leading position in mobile infrastructure and managed services offers a distinct advantage enabling Ericsson to generate and capitalize on the potential of building solutions and ecosystems from these connected devices.

Globally, Ericsson spent 36.3 billion SEK last year on R&D. In line with its strategy to establish leadership in targeted areas, the company has increased its R&D activities in IP and Cloud. In India, Ericsson has three R&D facilities - in Gurgaon, Chennai and Bengaluru - focusing on IP, Cloud, SDN, Multimedia Telephony, and Support Solutions including billing, charging and mediation. As of today, over 160 patents have been filed by Ericsson’s R&D Centers in India.

Ericsson’s Cloud & IP R&D center in Bengaluru is positioning to transform networks into the future, to cloud-based networks. Ericsson is driving this change of the game by introducing new products, services and technology, from a telecoms perspective. The Cloud & IP portfolio consists of; Cloud systems; building cloud infrastructure, Network functions enabling mobile broadband, voice, messaging, IP multimedia services and business communication for fixed and mobile access, IP Routing giving service providers the opportunity to efficiently and securely deliver differentiated services to consumers and connected devices, Network Analytics and Control allows operators to realize the benefits of consolidation, automation and exposure in operators’ networks.