STOCKHOLM — Ericsson announced Monday it is establishing a new R&D site in France with up to 300 employees to accelerate 5G development in Europe.
Initially focusing on 5G software development and security, the R&D site will be established in Ericsson’s offices in Massy, France (pictured), part of Paris-Saclay, one of Europe’s largest innovation zones, Ericsson said in the news release. Ericsson said it will open the new R&D site in early 2020, with a progressive ramp-up to increase its presence to up to 300 employees.
The company said that the establishment of the new R&D site in France will complement Ericsson’s strong R&D base in Europe. Currently, Ericsson employs 15,000 engineers in Europe — 60% of its total R&D staff. Ericsson has 18 R&D centres in Europe, including in Finland, Germany, Hungary, Ireland, Italy, Poland, Spain and Sweden.
As 5G rollout gathers momentum for service providers around the world, customer proximity is particularly relevant, Ericsson said in the release. In September 2019, Ericsson completed a SEK 500 million investment (approximately CAN$ 68.5 million) at its factory in Tallinn, Estonia, directly to benefit the European market.
“We recognize the economic and technological importance of the French market and the country’s influence in Europe. The rich technology ecosystem and key competencies that are present in France are conducive to building 5G through a strong R&D presence in the country. This initiative will strengthen Ericsson’s 5G software portfolio, including enhancing security capabilities, especially for the French and European markets. It will also support our continued focus on Europe and bring the latest innovations to our customers,” said Fredrik Jejdling, executive vice-president and head of network at Ericsson, in the news release.
