Will Texas Benefit From Ericsson’s New 5G Smart Factory?

The Swedish communications firm is setting up shop in Lewisville, outside Dallas. It will develop 5G networking hardware.

By Libby CohenSeptember 23, 2019 10:59 am,

Swedish communications firm Ericsson will open a new so-called smart factory in Lewisville, outside Dallas, in 2020. There, it will manufacture hardware for new 5G telecommunications networks – something tech experts say will revolutionize how we use our digital devices.

Melissa Repko is a tech reporter for The Dallas Morning News. She says 5G will significantly change how digital technology fits into our lives – whether it’s our smartphones, home appliances or even manufacturing. For example, she says factories rely more and more on robots these days, but they also need more internet connectivity to communicate with those machines. 5G would help because it would greatly increase the amount of digital information that can move through the network at one time. 5G makes it possible for files to download much faster, videos to stream more quickly, and more.

“All those devices … and the internet of things – is what people call it – are connected to this new network, and that’s the potential of 5G,” Repko says.

She says Ericsson will be making the hardware that makes 5G networks possible, including radio transmitters that will be attached to cell towers and utility poles.

What you’ll hear in this segment:

– What will be unique about the Ericsson “smart factory”

– How the Texas economy could benefit

– Why Ericsson chose North Texas for its first factory in the U.S.

 

Written by Caroline Covington.