Ericsson: Optus 5G Antennas, Cloud-Native Core with Google Cloud, Sweden AI Factory and More

Ludvig Landgren, Head of Ericsson Australia and New Zealand says, “This agreement further extends our strong collaboration with Optus in delivering high-performing, energy-efficient solutions that support Australia’s 5G evolution.”

Kent Wu Vice President, Network Strategy and Architecture, says: “The performance improvements demonstrated during field trials confirm that Ericsson’s antennas will provide Optus with greater network efficiency, improved spectral utilisation, and long-term energy savings.”

2. Ericsson Launches Ericsson On-Demand: SaaS Core Network Platform Built on Google Cloud

Ericsson announced the launch of Ericsson On-Demand, a new software-as-a-service (SaaS) platform that delivers core network services to communications service providers (CSPs). The platform is designed with Google Cloud, leveraging AI infrastructure and Google Kubernetes Engine (GKE) – and is managed end-to-end by Ericsson. “The solution will help CSPs to quickly set up and grow core network services, cut operating costs and gain business flexibility with a fully managed, cloud-native platform,” Ericsson said on Thursday, June 13, 2025.

The solution comes at a time when CSPs are under growing pressure to innovate at speed and scale while managing increasing operational complexity. Ericsson said the platform deploys full core in minutes, scales up or down as needed, and allows CSPs to only pay for what they use. Customers also don’t have to worry about managing the underlying infrastructure.

The platform leverages GKE to simplify and improve network availability, in addition to Google Cloud’s full-stack AI infrastructure which is available globally across 42 cloud regions and more than two million miles of terrestrial and subsea fiber, Ericsson added.

Ericsson On-Demand also helps CSPs add new features to their current systems bit-by-bit, without causing any downtime. Ericsson said the platform would mainly be used for smaller core deployments.

Eric Parsons, VP Head of Emerging Segments, Cloud Software and Services, Ericsson, says: “Ericsson On-Demand, is more than a product, it’s an enabler of ambition. Today’s CTOs must move fast, scale smart, and lead their organizations into new commercial territory. On-Demand removes the risk and complexity holding them back. It gives them the agility to outpace market change, the confidence to innovate without compromise, and the clarity to seize opportunities that were previously just out of reach. Choosing On-Demand is a bold signal of leadership, and a commitment to future-ready growth.”

Muninder Singh Sambi, vice president and general manager of Networking and Security, Google Cloud, says: “With Ericsson On-Demand on Google Cloud’s AI infrastructure, CSPs can rapidly deploy 5G core and tap into new revenue streams. This partnership with Ericsson isn’t just about technology; it’s about building the AI-driven telecom of tomorrow for our customers.”

According to Ericsson, the On-Demand solution enables CSPs to explore new markets, support FWA rollouts, and scale enterprise services quickly.

Also Read: Ericsson: Proximus Opts for Radio Dot Small Cell, Bell Canada Tests AI-Native Link Adaptation and More

3. Ericsson Wins Network Sustainability Award for 5G Advanced Automated Energy Saver

Ericsson has been awarded the Network Sustainability Award at FutureNet World 2025 for its 5G Advanced Automated Energy Saver feature. “This innovation highlights Ericsson’s commitment to creating more sustainable and cost-efficient mobile networks by introducing intent-driven operations as a new standard,” Ericsson said on June 11, 2025.

Ericsson noted that the FutureNet World Awards recognise outstanding innovation in automation and the use of AI to change how networks function and operate. The award-winning case is based on commercial deployments at Telstra and DNB, as published in Ericsson’s Intelligent Operations Guide, where the Automated Energy Saver solution has demonstrated significant benefits.

“Ericsson’s Automated Energy Saver is acknowledged for delivering significant energy savings and providing a robust return on investment, making it invaluable for communications service providers (CSPs) aiming to achieve business and sustainability benefits,” the gear vendor said.

As part of Ericsson 5G Advanced software solutions, the Automated Energy Saver operates within the RAN Compute or baseband, offering distributed automation to enhance network performance while minimising energy usage. This functionality activates or deactivates radio resources based on user throughput, ensuring energy is not wasted when not needed. It exemplifies intent-driven operations, focusing on user experience to autonomously manage network resources.

Johan Hultell, Head of Product Line Cloud & Purpose-built 5G RAN at Ericsson, said, “We are excited to bring such real-time intent-driven automation capabilities to market, helping service providers build more sustainable and future-ready networks.”

Ericsson explains that intent-driven automation, one of the key technological pillars of programmable networks, is a new operations paradigm where service providers can use service-related metrics such as user throughput inputs to the radio access network rather than setting radio parameters manually. This makes Automated Energy Saver, part of Ericsson’s 5G Advanced capabilities, a pivotal feature in the move toward programmable networks.

4. Ericsson and Supermicro Ink MoU to Accelerate Edge AI Deployment with 5G Integration

Ericsson and Supermicro have announced their intent to engage in a collaboration aimed at accelerating the deployment of Edge AI applications by combining Ericsson’s 5G enterprise connectivity solutions with Supermicro’s Edge AI platforms. The companies signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) to explore the development of commercial solution bundles that simplify procurement and deployment, delivering advanced Edge AI capabilities that leverage 5G network connectivity as a key value-added attribute.

As AI becomes integrated into a wide range of business functions, many of those AI applications require low-latency response times. This development is leading to a demand for Edge AI solutions that deploy pre-trained AI models, generative AI, and agentic AI to the network edge, outside the data center, for local processing. The combination of Supermicro and Ericsson technology is intended to enable businesses in retail, factories, health care, and others to rapidly deploy Edge AI infrastructure together with wireless connectivity, the companies said in a joint statement on June 10, 2025.

Supermicro said it continues to expand its portfolio of infrastructure products supporting Edge AI applications with product choices ranging from small fanless devices to shoebox-sized systems to 1U rackmount systems. These new stand-alone wireless systems can be deployed in diverse environments yet deliver industry-standard data throughput comparable to wired systems.

Mory Lin, Vice President, IoT/Embedded and Edge Computing, Supermicro, said: “Our compute platforms combined with Ericsson’s 5G technology will allow enterprises and public sector organisations to extend the reach of their AI applications where wired technologies are not a viable option, such as smart intersections, industrial manufacturing, and remote infrastructure.”

Ericsson said that with its solution, enterprises will also be able to take advantage of 5G functionality including network slicing, cellular intelligence, and zero-trust security.

Jonathan Fischer, Vice President, Global OEM and Embedded Partners at Ericsson says, “Ericsson has been transforming the WAN edge for almost a decade, allowing enterprises to connect anything, anywhere with speed and agility. We are excited to collaborate with Supermicro to extend this same speed and agility to the emerging Edge AI space.”

The partnership envisions a range of industry applications:

• Retail: Accelerate checkout processing through real-time image recognition of items, enhance inventory tracking, and detect and alert against theft.
• Smart Factory and Industrial Automation: Monitor and control industrial machinery by locally processing sensor and camera data.
• Traffic Safety: Enhance traffic safety by data analysis directly from camera and sensor sources for adaptive real-time traffic management.
• Healthcare Management: Support healthcare operations such as just-in-time inventory management to reduce waste and ensure critical medical supplies are available.

5. Ericsson Canada and Carleton University Extend Partnership to Advance 5G Wireless Networks

Ericsson Canada and Carleton University have announced an extension to their multi-year, multi-million-dollar partnership to drive innovation, train skilled workers, and build more reliable, secure technology for the future of 5G wireless communications. The announcement was made on June 5, 2025, at the bi-annual Tech Talks event, which showcases the ongoing projects and accomplishments of the Ericsson-Carleton 5G Wireless Lab.

Launched in early 2020, the Ericsson–Carleton University Partnership for Research and Leadership in Wireless Networks has played a key role in fostering applied research, academic-industry exchange, and next-generation technology development, Ericsson said.

The latest agreement builds on the successful collaboration; Ericsson and Carleton have agreed to extend the partnership an additional two years until December 2026, continuing the important wireless research programs and delving into new areas of focus such as healthcare, aerospace, and transportation applications for 5G.

According to Ericsson, during the first phase of the partnership, completed in December 2024, this strategic collaboration focused on two key objectives: to engage in applied collaborative research with best-in-class research professors to address real-world research challenges that Ericsson is facing; and to develop a funnel of top students interested in mobile communications and who have relevant skills, so they are equipped to enter the tech workforce.

Also Read: Ericsson–Lenovo Patent Deal, Odido 5G Experience, CelcomDigi AI Network Push, and More

6. Ericsson, Spie, and Unitel Deploy Private 5G Network in Mid-Sized City Istres

Ericsson announced the successful deployment of a private 5G network in the City of Istres, located in the south of France, saying that the project, carried out in partnership with SPIE and Unitel, establishes Istres as one of the first mid-sized European cities to implement a sovereign private 5G infrastructure. This infrastructure supports critical communications, bolsters public safety, and enables AI-powered urban solutions.

Istres is setting a new standard for resilient urban centers, embracing scalable solutions for public sector applications, starting with advanced video surveillance and encrypted communication channels. Ericsson, in collaboration with SPIE and Unitel Group, has ensured network integration, enhancing the city’s emergency response capabilities.

“Traditional fiber installation for each camera would have been EUR 30,000, including ducts, civil works, installation, and the camera itself. In contrast, the private 5G setup costs only EUR 5,000 per camera, encompassing installation, a 5G router, and the camera. Installing just 10 cameras is sufficient to cover the network’s cost, demonstrating a favourable ROI,” Ericsson explained.

Ericsson further said that the project supports long-term objectives, including AI integration and smart city expansion, while contributing to sustainability goals such as reducing carbon emissions and decreasing energy consumption. These combined efficiencies free up public resources — both financial and operational — creating the conditions necessary for the emergence of new, more responsive, and sustainable public services.

Duncan Hawkins, VP EMEA, Enterprise 5G at Ericsson states, “As one of the first mid-sized European cities to adopt this approach, Istres is paving the way for the modernisation of public services and the financial optimization of municipal operations — offering a valuable model for cities across Europe looking to build on this experience.”

With the deployment currently operational, Istres intends to use the private 5G network to advance its low-carbon industrial zone ambitions in Fos-sur-Mer, establishing a model for other mid-sized cities transitioning to digital and low-carbon operations.

7. Ericsson and Telstra Launch Triple-Band FDD Massive MIMO 5G Radio

Ericsson and Telstra have jointly announced the commercial deployment of the Ericsson AIR 3284, which they claim is the world’s first 5G triple-band FDD Massive MIMO (Multiple Input, Multiple Output) radio. The technology forms a foundational element of Telstra’s four-year mobile network transformation strategy, offering significant advances in coverage, capacity, and user experience, according to Ericsson’s announcement on June 2, 2025.

Massive MIMO, a key enabler for 5G performance, allows operators to manage spectrum resources more efficiently while improving beamforming capabilities, coverage, and data throughput. The AIR 3284 radio brings this technology to the mid-band Frequency Division Duplex (FDD) spectrum, long considered for its optimal balance between wide-area coverage and high capacity.

Ludvig Landgren, Head of Ericsson Australia and New Zealand, says: “The AIR 3284 is the first of its kind and delivers the capacity, coverage, and efficiency needed to support Australia’s 5G evolution. It also lays the foundation for Telstra’s recently announced mobile network transformation that we are helping deliver, focused on building a high-performing, programmable network ready for 5G Advanced and beyond. By integrating Massive MIMO into three critical FDD bands, we’re delivering a future-ready radio that will help Telstra set new benchmarks in speed, experience, and network intelligence.”

According to Ericsson, the AIR 3284 is the world’s first global 5G radio to integrate all three frequency bands into a single unit with full Massive MIMO capabilities, delivering up to twice the downlink capacity and up to three times more uplink capacity—an essential advantage for data-intensive applications like social media, live streaming, Fixed Wireless Access (FWA), extended reality (XR), and enterprise cloud services. Additionally, it features smarter beamforming technology that enhances signal quality and significantly improves performance at the cell edge.

Ericsson also said AIR 3284 plays a crucial role in enhancing Telstra’s regional network by alleviating congestion in low-band sites, significantly improving the user experience. By increasing capacity in the mid-band, it provides additional headroom for Telstra’s mid-band TDD (3.6GHz), which serves as the primary 5G capacity layer.

Telstra recently announced a four-year network transformation partnership with Ericsson. By leveraging Telstra’s spectrum assets—including 50MHz in Band 7 (2600MHz) and additional spectrum in Band 1 (2100MHz) and Band 3 (1800MHz)—and combining them with Massive MIMO, the AIR 3284 significantly increases network throughput and coverage across both city centres and regional zones.

Early deployments are already live in Brisbane suburbs, and Ericsson says the deployment will expand soon to Melbourne, with ongoing field trials confirming performance and energy gains. Ericsson noted that AIR 3284 is the only commercial 5G radio in the world to combine 1800/2100/2600 MHz bands with Massive MIMO.

8. Ericsson Joins Consortium to Develop Swedish AI Factory

The Swedish consortium partners – Ericsson, AstraZeneca, SAAB, SEB, and Wallenberg Investments AB – have announced a new initiative to boost Sweden’s AI capabilities. The consortium will jointly build and operate the country’s largest enterprise AI supercomputer to drive sovereign, secure, and high-performance computing access for Swedish industry.

The system will be managed by a newly formed joint company, aimed at enabling secure sovereign compute infrastructure for industry partners. The consortium’s mission is to accelerate AI innovation, competence development, and collaborative research in Sweden.

The intended first phase of the deployment will be two Nvidia DGX SuperPODs featuring Nvidia’s latest generation Grace Blackwell GB300 systems, making it the largest enterprise AI supercomputer in Sweden once operational. It is intended to run compute-heavy AI workloads to speed up processes such as training of domain-specific AI models and large-scale inference, including reasoning AI.

To further support the Swedish Consortium, Nvidia plans to establish its first AI Technology Center in Sweden, focused on research and innovation in collaboration with the consortium partners.

The initiative was unveiled during a visit to southern Sweden on May 24 by Nvidia founder and CEO Jensen Huang, alongside Marcus Wallenberg, Chair of Wallenberg Investments.

Welcoming the initiative, Ericsson Chief Technology Officer, Erik Ekudden, says: “AI has a key role to play in the network evolution with high-performance programmable and autonomous networks. AI and 5G are also critical in the future competitiveness of Sweden, and other countries, by driving innovation, enabling start-ups and delivering new use cases and capabilities. As a company that already invests heavily in AI research and development, Ericsson is looking forward to working with other leading Swedish companies and Nvidia to ensure Sweden is at the forefront of AI development and benefits.”

Jensen Huang, founder and CEO of Nvidia, said: “As electricity powered the industrial age and the Internet fueled the digital age, AI is the engine of the next industrial revolution. Through the visionary initiative of Wallenberg Investments and Sweden’s industry leaders, the country is building its first AI infrastructure—laying the foundation for breakthroughs across science, industry, and society, and securing Sweden’s place at the forefront of the AI era.”

Marcus Wallenberg, chair of Wallenberg Investments, said: “Investing in cutting-edge AI infrastructure is a crucial step toward accelerating the development and adoption of AI across Swedish industry. We believe this initiative will generate valuable spillover effects—by enabling upskilling, fostering new collaborations, and strengthening the broader national AI ecosystem.”

Ericsson will leverage its data science expertise to develop and deploy state-of-the-art AI models—improving performance and efficiency and enhancing customer experience. By harnessing the power of AI, Ericsson said it will enable new business models and use cases for the billions of end users that the company serves.

AstraZeneca will use the system to spearhead the next generation of AI-enabled drug discovery and development involving methods such as foundation model training, multi-model inference, and unique data processing capabilities.

Saab will deploy AI methodology to significantly accelerate the development of new state-of-the-art defense capabilities, combining advanced AI applications with Saab’s products and platforms.

SEB will use AI as a central part of its ambition to drive productivity enhancement, power new customer offerings, and future-proof the bank. “Securing access to critical infrastructure is a strategically important part of this ambition,” the official release said on May 26, 2025.

9. Ericsson to Expand R&D Investment in Japan, Creating Up to 300 High-Skilled Telecom Jobs

Ericsson has announced plans to significantly expand its research and development (R&D) presence in Japan, creating up to 300 high-skilled next-generation telecom jobs as part of a broader strategy to integrate Japan more deeply into its global ecosystem.

The announcement was made during a visit to Japan by Ericsson President and CEO Borje Ekholm, underscoring the company’s long-term commitment to Japan’s digital future and its role as a global technology leader.

“We are on the cusp of the biggest transformative and innovative changes in the history of technology and connectivity is the key to making them happen through open high-performing programmable networks,” said Ekholm. “Ericsson’s intention is to invest in that pioneering Japanese legacy through advanced RAN R&D in 5G, and beyond, to benefit the entire telecoms ecosystem of partners, suppliers and customers in Japan.”

The new roles will focus on developing high-performance, programmable networks that serve as the foundation for advanced business applications, including those powered by artificial intelligence. This RAN-centric investment aims to accelerate Japan’s capabilities in next-generation wireless technologies and to foster closer collaboration with local partners and suppliers.

“Our intent to expand R&D in Japan emphasises how strategically important the market is to Ericsson,” Ekholm adds. “In addition to complementing ongoing Ericsson 6G-focused partnerships in Japan, it also highlights our commitment to work with all local stakeholders to deliver the benefits of open high-performing programmable networks.”

Ericsson noted that the speed, low latency, large data capacity, and intelligent capabilities of high-performing programmable networks are key to making innovative new technology business use cases—including AI—a reality. The RAN-focused investment will benefit from closer collaboration with ecosystem suppliers and partners in Japan.

Per Narvinger, Executive Vice President and Head of Ericsson Networks, says the investment will enable Ericsson to better meet Japan’s digital infrastructure needs as the country invests in high-performing programmable 5G networks.

Ericsson emphasised that the initiative is in its early stages but progressing actively. In addition to the intent to expand research and development operations in Japan, Ericsson is collaborating on 6G research with the Yokohama National University and the University of Electro-Communications. Globally, Ericsson invests around USD 5 billion in R&D annually.

10. Ericsson Launches Indoor 5G Solution Made in Canada

Ericsson has announced the launch of its plug-and-play indoor 5G coverage system, combining radio and baseband functions into a single unit. The new Indoor Fusion 8828 5G solution was developed by Ericsson’s R&D team in Ottawa, Canada. According to Ericsson, the new solution is a small cell 5G product for consumer-facing businesses such as coffee shops, chain stores, movie theatres, and restaurants, bringing the benefit of multi-gigabit speeds for end users and smaller locations.

“5G connectivity has the power to radically transform businesses and improve the lives of both employees and customers,” says Jeanette Irekvist, President, Ericsson Canada. “We are proud to bring our innovative 5G solutions to Canadian businesses of all sectors and sizes.”

“As the first to implement Ericsson’s innovative 5G in-building technology, we’re excited to break new ground, while enhancing operations and connectivity for businesses, to improve the daily experience for its employees and customers alike,” said Mark McDonald, EVP & Chief Technology Officer, Bell.

Ericsson said the Fusion 8828 was designed in Ottawa by its Radio team in 2023. Fusion uses Ericsson’s RAN and RDS assets to create a fully featured solution for small venues that works with the rest of its portfolio.

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