Ericsson invests €200m in Athlone campus
Ericsson has announced a €200m investment over the next three years in its Athlone facility.
The CEO of Ericsson, Börje Ekholm, and the executive team travelled to Athlone to make the announcement to staff on Wednesday.
The investment, and the presence of the executive team in Athlone at the announcement, has been hailed as a “huge vote of confidence” in Athlone.
Head of Ericsson’s Athlone site and Network Management Engineering Unit, Denis Dullea, said: “We see this as a vote of confidence in Athlone by our board.”
He explained that this was the second visit by the CEO to the Athlone campus since Ericsson Athlone celebrated its 50th anniversary last September.
The €200m investment will fund a pioneering research, development, and innovation (RD&I) project at the Athlone campus.
The project, supported by the Government through IDA Ireland, will underpin Ericsson’s development of world-leading capabilities for the management of high-performing, open programmable networks.
These capabilities are key to enabling communications service providers (CSP) to improve operational efficiency, as well as accelerating the global deployment and value generation of 5G Standalone connectivity through differentiated offerings.
Denis explained that the project will essentially allow network providers to offer much more bespoke services to customers.
In achieving open programmable networks, service providers will be able to use components from multiple vendors to create bespoke services.
The investment aims to deliver next-generation open network management and automation capabilities with Artificial Intelligence, Machine Learning, and advanced analytics. Such capabilities will help CSPs to improve network performance, accelerate innovation cycles, and reduce costs through autonomous network operations.
“Ericsson has a long history and deep roots in Ireland spanning more than 50 years. This €200m investment, supported by the IDA and Irish government, is a testament to our commitment to Ireland and confidence in our exceptional talent here. By delivering on this cutting-edge project, we’re both investing in Ireland's future and empowering mobile operators worldwide,” said Denis.
He added that the investment “re-emphasises the vote of confidence of the executives that we're here to stay”.
He said the project will be undertaken largely within the current employee numbers, although there is likely to be some gradual growth. With over 1,300 staff at the Athlone campus, there has been a large increase in the number of staff in the last eight or nine years when staff numbers stood at between 700 and 800.
This year, the company expects to take on in the region of 50 to 70 graduates.
Denis praised the staff at the Athlone campus, saying it is the people that makes the company. He said there is a good, inclusive culture in Athlone with visiting staff from other sites worldwide often commenting on the vibrancy and energy of the workforce. It is this energy that drives the innovation, he added.
Minister for Enterprise Trade & Employment, Peter Burke, said: “Ericsson's €200m announcement at their Athlone facility is fantastic news. Their innovative R&D project, which will span a duration of three years, will improve efficiency in 5G networks globally.
"Ericsson have been established in Ireland for decades, with the Athlone facility a significant employer and an integral part of the fabric of the community for over 50 years. It is really encouraging that Ericsson have once again cemented Athlone as key base for the company, selecting the campus and the staff based here to lead this pioneering work.”