Ericsson to invest €200m in Athlone research and development project

Ericsson has had operations in Ireland dating back to 1974 and currently employs more than 1,300 people here

IDA chief Michael Lohan, Ericsson chief Börje Ekholm, enterprise minister Peter Burke, and Jenny Lindqvist, Denis Dullea, and Sinéad Pillion, Ericsson. Picture: Naoise Culhane

Swedish telecoms company Ericsson is to invest €200m over the next three years in a new research, development, and innovation (RD&I) project at its Athlone facility.

Ericsson has had operations in Ireland dating back to 1974 when it opened its first factory here.

It currently employs more than 1,300 people in Ireland, with the Athlone facility serving as the company’s designated centre of excellence for intelligent network management.

Ericsson said the project will underpin its development of “world-leading capabilities” for the management of high performing, open programmable networks.

"These capabilities are key to enabling communications service providers to improve operational efficiency, as well as accelerating the global deployment and value generation of 5G Standalone connectivity through differentiated offerings," the company said.

Denis Dullea, head of Ericsson’s Athlone site and network management engineering unit, said this investment "is a testament to our commitment to Ireland and confidence in our exceptional talent here".

The company currently employs more than 1,300 people in the country primarily in its Athlone facility. Picture: Angel Garcia/Bloomberg

The investment is supported by the Government through IDA Ireland.

IDA chief executive Michael Lohan said that this investment "strengthens the long-term legacy of Ericsson in Ireland, building on the success of past investments spanning more than 60 years".

"This RD&I project embodies cutting-edge innovation, exemplifies IDA’s continued commitment to balanced regional development."

The investment will focus on the Ericsson intelligent automation platform and network powered applications to automate radio access network management and optimisation.

The company’s open network management and automation platform for 4G and 5G radio access networks is largely designed at the Athlone site.

The company added that this investment aims to deliver next-generation open network management and automation capabilities with AI, machine learning, and advanced analytics.

Enterprise minister Peter Burke said the company’s new project will improve efficiency in 5G networks globally adding that it is "really encouraging that Ericsson have once again cemented Athlone as key base for the company".