Ericsson today unveiled a series of updates to its 5G software platform, including a dual-mode 5G core with cloud-native infrastructure, an array of network services that leverage artificial intelligence (AI), and an energy management offering that claims to reduce opex and carbon dioxide emissions.

The Swedish vendor said its dual-mode 5G core has built-in software probes that will enable network operators to accelerate the adoption of 5G and unlock AI-powered insights. Ericsson is also adding containers on a bare metal cloud infrastructure, which it claims can save operators up to 30% on operational costs compared to virtual machines (VM).

The containers will support the automated deployment of cloud-native applications, including a 5G core, across central and edge sites, according to Ericsson. As part of that effort, the goal is to eliminate the virtualization layer from cloud infrastructure to reduce complexity and improve hardware efficiency and performance for network operators, it added.

“Optimizing cloud infrastructure for cloud-native applications will be foundational in 5G,” said Caroline Chappell, research director at Analysys Mason, in a prepared statement. “A bare metal container infrastructure makes network deployments and operations simpler and automation easier as well as enhancing cloud native function performance.”

Ericsson also introduced cloud-based microservices that can be deployed on service providers’ existing network assets, including enterprise and IoT voice services. In December, Ericsson deployed what it claimed to be the first cloud-native and container-based evolved packet core for 4G and 5G services with Australian operator Telstra.

The vendor’s network services offering also gained what it calls Network Intelligence and Omni Network Channel, which make use of AI, automation, and predictive analytics to further address network complexities that operators face in 5G deployments. Network Intelligence enables operators to identify and resolve issues before they impact network performance.

Ericsson claims the service can reduce critical incidents by up to 35% and automatically resolve issues within an average of five minutes of data collection. Omni Network Channel, which is described as a “unified digital workspace,” enables operators and the vendor to collaborate more effectively on network performance issues, according to Ericsson.

“There is a demand among service providers for a more transparent interaction with their vendors when dealing with network issues,” said Justin van der Lande, principal analyst at Analysys Mason, in a prepared statement.

Energy Infrastructure Operations, a new AI-powered energy management service, is designed to create energy efficiencies on the radio access network (RAN) and reduce the number of site visits required by operators. Ericsson claims the offering can achieve a 15% decrease in energy-related opex, a 15% reduction in site visits, and a 30% reduction in energy-related outages.

The vendor notes that the majority of savings can be derived in the RAN, where energy consumption ranges from 20% to 40% of a site’s annual opex.

Ericsson earlier this week also announced an agreement with Telenor that will open a path for the Swedish operator to resell IT-centric connectivity technologies to its enterprise customers. The deal falls under Ericsson’s Industry Connect initiative, which the vendor describes as a “dedicated wireless cellular network that provides secure, reliable coverage, high device density, and predictable latency.”

The offering provides enterprises with full visibility of machines, processes and data, according to Ericsson. It added that the effort is focused on 4G LTE now, but Ericsson and and its partners are working on plans to implement it on 5G down the line.

Finally, Ericsson revealed that its engineers successfully aggregated 800 MHz of millimeter-wave (mmWave) spectrum to achieve download delivery rates of 4.3 Gb/s on commercially available technology. The vendor claims it’s the fastest 5G speed recorded to date. The test was performed on a 5G smartphone powered by Qualcomm’s Snapdragon X55 chip.

The vendor said the Ericsson Radio System Street Macro 6701 technology, including network and terminal support, will be commercially available sometime this year.