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The new radio device highlights sustainability with reduced power consumption.

Ericsson has unveiled a new triple-band, tri-sector radio that can take on the function of nine single-band radios at once, according to a report in ITPro.

Named Radio 6646, the device furthers Ericsson’s tri-sector products’ multi-band capabilities by combining 900, 800, and 700MHz frequency bands.

The low-band spectrum capability will significantly boost both 5G coverage and mid-band (3.5GHz) performance in an energy-efficient way, the company says.

Radio 6646 also reduces energy consumption by 40 percent and site footprint by 60 percent in comparison to the firm’s triple-band single-sector radios. The enhancements translate to increased yearly energy savings, lower deployment costs and a smaller carbon footprint. 

A 40 percent reduction in energy usage can translate to charging an electric car 40 times less a year, according to Ericsson. Moreover, the 60-percent reduction in weight will further help CSPs to minimize deployment costs, tower rent and carbon footprint. One Radio 6646 can do the job of nine single-band radios.

Simplifying and extending 5G deployments

“Our new energy-efficient radio uniquely combines spectrum capabilities in an easy-to-install form factor”, said David Hammarwall, Head of Product Area Networks at Ericsson. “This will simplify deployments and extend 5G coverage, starting in Europe. With this latest innovation, service providers can scale up 5G Standalone deployments with new applications for consumers, enterprises, and mission-critical communications.”

Radio 6646 will expand the wide-area reach and outside-in coverage from rooftops and towers to indoor locations such as offices, basements, stores, and homes. It will also increase the capacity of 5G networks, especially when combined with mid-band TDD over Carrier Aggregation and 5G Standalone (5G SA).

Radio 6646 follows the 2021 launch of the dual-band, tri-sector Radio 6626, which is commercially available across global markets. Earlier this year, Ericsson also unveiled seven new 5G RAN solutions that deliver sizeable energy savings and up to ten-fold capacity increases – with minimal or no added footprint, according to the company.

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