The IT Nerd

Ericsson will become Virgin Media O2’s primary radio access network (RAN) partner in a five-year partnership extension that will see Ericsson power the majority of the UK service provider’s nationwide UK radio network. Through securing the majority of the radio network-focused element of Virgin Media O2’s latest Mobile Transformation Plan, the partnership extension will earn Ericsson several hundred million Euros across the five years.

Virgin Media O2’s Mobile Transformation Plan will deliver faster, more reliable mobile connectivity across the UK.

With Virgin Media O2’s mobile traffic more than doubling in the last five years alone, a key element of the network enhancement will focus on maximizing the capabilities of additional 5G mid-band spectrum acquired by Virgin Media O2 in 2025, to strengthen the service provider’s UK leadership in 5G Standalone (SA) connectivity.

The partnership extension is the latest development in Virgin Media O2’s Mobile Transformation Plan – with 2026 investments aimed at improving reliability, boosting capacity and widening coverage across its nationwide network.

The upgrade will feature the deployment of a wide range of Ericsson Radio System products, including advanced and energy-efficient multiband Massive MIMO radios – such as the AIR 3229 and the triple-band Radio 4486 – at both new and existing locations.

Ericsson AI and machine learning-based software will also be deployed to intelligently optimize network performance and efficiency in real time.

Network programmability and intelligence will help Virgin Media O2 to utilize the full capabilities of its 5G SA network, supporting advanced differentiated services through network slicing for application, enterprise and industry use cases.

The network upgrade will enable Virgin Media O2 to move more of its customer base to its 5G SA network, which is already available to 87 percent of the UK population. The partnership is also structured to support Virgin Media O2’s evolution to Cloud RAN and to scale into future 5G-Advanced.

The 2026 enhanced Ericsson-VMO2 partnership is the latest development in a productive longstanding relationship between the companies – which included the 2025 investment tranche of the Mobile Transformation Plan.

That scope included performance and capacity improvements through additional spectrum, network densification and small‑cell deployments, targeted upgrades at network hot spots (like stadiums and transport hubs), and extended coverage along railways, major roads, and previously underserved rural and coastal areas.

Ericsson and Future Technologies Venture, LLC today announced an expanded collaboration to accelerate deployment of enterprise wireless and private 5G networks across industrial and critical infrastructure sectors in North America.

The collaboration builds on more than 13 years of joint engagement between the companies and reflects a shared conviction: enterprise wireless is becoming a foundational layer enabling AI-driven modernization across physical industries.

As organizations deploy AI into real-world environments; from manufacturing plants and logistics networks to energy infrastructure and transportation systems, they require secure, resilient, and deterministic connectivity capable of supporting real-time data movement between connected devices, edge computing platforms, and centralized cloud systems.

Industrial environments are simultaneously experiencing rapid growth in connected devices, including sensors, cameras, autonomous systems, vehicles, and mobile workers generating operational data that powers AI-driven automation and decision-making.

This shift is creating a growing gap between AI compute capacity and the enterprise networks designed to support it. Many traditional enterprise connectivity architectures were not built to deliver the scale, reliability, and real-time performance required for modern AI-enabled operations.

To address these requirements, organizations are increasingly deploying cellular technologies, including private 5G and enterprise wireless WAN (WWAN), to provide secure, deterministic connectivity across complex operational environments.

Through the expanded collaboration, Ericsson will provide enterprise wireless and private cellular technologies while Future Technologies delivers systems integration expertise spanning strategy, architecture, deployment, and lifecycle services.

Future Technologies will serve as a systems integrator for enterprise wireless transformation initiatives, helping organizations design and deploy modern connectivity environments across sectors including energy, manufacturing, transportation, logistics, and enterprise campus environments.

Ericsson and Future Technologies have collaborated for more than 13 years across thousands of deployments throughout North America. The partnership builds on more than $150 million in cumulative joint engagement value, spanning public cellular modernization, private cellular deployments, industrial wireless WAN initiatives, and large-scale enterprise connectivity transformation programs.

The companies have already collaborated on enterprise wireless deployments supporting manufacturing environments, industrial facilities, and large-scale sports and entertainment venues where secure connectivity enables real-time operational data and advanced digital applications.

Future Technologies also operates advanced customer validation environments including its Atlanta-based Living Lab and Lab-on-Wheels mobile demonstration platform. These environments allow enterprises to test real-world connectivity architectures, validate operational use cases, and accelerate pilot-to-production deployment timelines.

As industries accelerate adoption of AI-driven operational technologies, scalable wireless infrastructure is emerging as a strategic foundation for modern industrial environments.

Ericsson and Intel are pooling their next-generation technology leadership to help accelerate ecosystem readiness for seamless transition to AI-native 6G deployments and use cases.

The collaboration – an extension of a decades’ long relationship – was announced at Mobile World Congress Barcelona 2026. It will span mobile connectivity, cloud technologies, and compute capabilities across AI-driven RAN and packet core use cases, and platform level-security and network capabilities to help enhance ecosystem enablement and time-to-market for cloud-native solutions.

A shared commitment

As 6G transitions from the research phase to commercial reality, the industry needs a collaborative, well-prepared ecosystem-aligned with global standards bodies and industry organizations to help turn innovation into deployable infrastructure.

The collaboration will advance future high-performance, and energy-efficient compute architectures designed for both AI for networks and Networks for AI.

AI-native 6G will combine intelligent and programmable networks with advanced compute and real-time sensing, creating a stronger foundation for more responsive, efficient and capable services. Over time, that evolution could bring sensing and compute closer together across the network.

Collaboration results on show

Ericsson and Intel have collectively achieved important milestones across cloud RAN, 5G Core and open network infrastructure. That momentum continues at MWC 2026, where multiple demonstrations – across Ericsson (Ericsson Pavilion, Hall 2), Intel (Hall 3, Stand 3E31) and various ecosystem partner event spaces – showcase innovative collaboration.

Related links:
6G – Follow the journey to the next generation networks – Ericsson

Ericsson pioneers Cloud RAN call with HPE server and Intel

Ericsson’s first Cloud RAN call on Intel Xeon 6 with Dell

Ericsson and Intel hit milestones in Tech Hub collaboration

Ericsson, Intel advance optimized 5G

Hyperconnectivity driven by huge numbers of sensors, the expansion of AI into applications and devices, and the role of telecoms in national security was center stage in Barcelona today as Ericsson President and CEO, Börje Ekholm, got the company’s Mobile World Congress (MWC) 2026 program underway.

Ekholm said these three “fundamental forces” shaped this year’s Ericsson MWC event theme – Enter New Horizons – and are central to company demos, seminars, panel and round-table discussions, and customer meetings at the Fira Gran Via venue this week.

He said the AI surge and growth in the number of connected devices will drive high-performance connectivity demand as “everything will be connected.”

Ekholm said he was excited about the new era, which he said will also put demands on Ericsson.

Momentum in differentiated connectivity use cases – such as premium fixed wireless access, network slicing, and Network APIs – will also be in focus in Ericsson’s pavilion.

Ericsson’s event space will feature collaborations with more than 120 partners across the industry – comprising more than half of what Ericsson is showing in Barcelona this year.

Ekholm said this was evidence of how the new ecosystem is scaling.

Ekholm referenced the Network APIs-focused joint venture Aduna as an important example of bringing the industry together to form ecosystems to utilize the digital stack.

Ekholm said 5G Standalone would also influence the third ‘fundamental force.’

Ekholm was joined by special guests during the webcast: AT&T CEO, John Stankey, and Singtel CEO, Yuen Kuan Moon.

Stankey and Ekholm discussed the companies’ December 2023 deal aimed at helping the U.S. communications service provider to move to cloud-based architecture and pursue new revenue streams.

Stankey highlighted momentum in fixed wireless access and network slice uptake as being notable and agreed with Ekholm that 5G Standalone is central to the cloud-based and service-based architecture needed for new physical AI services and applications.

Stankey and Ekholm also addressed the importance of collaborating on network security, before discussing the fact that both AT&T and Ericsson celebrate 150-year anniversaries in 2026. While celebrating the landmark they also stressed the need to constantly innovate and think about what is coming next.

Ekholm and Yuen Kuan Moon also discussed the advantages of having 5G Standalone connectivity.

He also highlighted dedicated network slices as new revenue generation opportunities across security, factories, airports and seaports, saying offering applications and gaming network slices was also in focus.

Mobile World Congress Barcelona 2026 runs until March 5. Find out ore about Ericsson’s MWC activities vis this link.

Ericsson has announced it has joined the OCUDU Ecosystem Foundation as a founding premier member, underscoring its commitment to open innovation in radio access network (RAN) software. Ericsson will hold a seat on the Foundation’s Board of Directors.

OCUDU, an open-source initiative under the Linux Foundation, aims to accelerate U.S. leadership in wireless innovation through a portable, open-source CU/DU software stack supporting next-generation RAN capabilities.

Ericsson will help shape OCUDU’s direction to enable research, experimentation, and ecosystem development alongside operators, government agencies, academic institutions, and technology partners. Ericsson’s participation will focus on contributing architectural guidance, ensuring technology neutrality, and advancing research-driven use cases, building on its experience in world‑leading solutions deployed globally across governmental, enterprise, and consumer networks. The company remains dedicated to delivering secure, trusted, and high‑performance networks and will leverage its industry-leading expertise to advance an open and interoperable ecosystem defining the progression of 5G and the emergence of 6G toward a 6G/AI intelligent fabric.

OCUDU Ecosystem Foundation will help facilitate dual use of commercial 5G technologies in specific defense applications, meeting the requirements of the U.S. Department of War. Ericsson is dedicated to supporting the U.S. government’s efforts to modernize its infrastructure by transitioning from legacy systems to secure, open, and programmable network architectures. This will ensure technology neutrality, strengthen national security standards, and foster a resilient telecommunications ecosystem where AI‑driven capabilities can be deployed at scale.

Ericsson today announced it has successfully completed the world’s first 6G pre-standard over-the-air (OTA) session, marking a major milestone towards commercial 6G networks and reinforcing U.S. leadership in next-generation wireless innovation.

This milestone was achieved on a pre-standard 6G system using a trusted, end-to-end architecture designed to be AI and cloud native. Conducted at Ericsson’s U.S. headquarters in Plano, Texas, the OTA session validates the readiness of key 6G building blocks. The demonstration features radio hardware, RAN Compute, software-defined air interfaces, and cloud platforms. Ericsson’s future-proof software architecture is deployable on multiple hardware platforms, including CPU (Central Processing Units) and GPU (Graphics Processing Units).

This achievement supports the U.S. government’s focus on 6G leadership, including early research, global standards and forward-looking spectrum policy. 6G is a critical infrastructure for national security, economic competitiveness, and AI-driven innovation. Ericsson’s work directly supports those priorities by showing how future networks can deliver secure, high-performance, AI-native connectivity that underpins U.S. economic competitiveness, innovation, and national security.

Why this matters

Specifically, the 6G trial proves two key capabilities to prepare future networks for AI: powering AI robotics with instant, reliable connections and processing for real‑time control; and enabling real‑time video streaming.  As AI expands beyond smartphones to power robotics, autonomous systems, immersive applications, and industrial automation, wireless infrastructure is becoming a critical layer of the AI stack. 6G networks will be designed to sense, compute, and adapt in real time, enabling consistent low latency, higher uplink capacity, and new classes of AI services that are not possible today.

Ericsson’s OTA milestone demonstrates that these capabilities are moving into system-level reality, positioning the U.S. ecosystem to shape global standards, drive innovation, and lead commercialization of 6G.

A long-term commitment to the United States

Ericsson has operated in the U.S. for more than 120 years and continues to expand its footprint across research, manufacturing, and operations. The company employs more than 6,000 people across the country and operates 12 R&D centers focused on AI, ASIC design, and antenna systems. Its U.S. headquarters in Plano, Texas, serves as a major hub for advanced wireless R&D, standards development, and customer engagement.

Ericsson also currently manufactures advanced 5G radios and RAN Compute systems at its 5G USA Smart Factory in Lewisville, Texas – one of the most advanced telecom manufacturing facilities in the country. Ericsson has invested more than USD 150 million in the factory and is the only manufacturer making telecom equipment at scale in the U.S. The highly automated, 300,000-square-foot facility supports more than 550 U.S. manufacturing jobs and strengthens secure, resilient domestic supply chains. As 6G technology matures, Ericsson plans to build-on this U.S.-based manufacturing foundation to support future deployments.

Technical highlights

• The system consists of a pre-standard 6G stack with:
  • Spectrum in the 7GHz range (Centimeter Wave)
  • Carrier bandwidth of 400 MHz
  • Performance focus on optimized uplink, enhanced energy efficiency, and maximized spectral utilization

The demonstration leveraged Ericsson radios, baseband platforms, and cloud-native software, and strengthened ongoing contributions to global standard bodies, including 3GPP and Open RAN. Ericsson will continue expanding trials across additional spectrum bands, enabling AI-native capabilities, and collaborating with operators, chipset partners, and the broader ecosystem to accelerate 6G readiness.

NTT DATA and Ericsson today announced a multi-year strategic partnership to accelerate enterprise adoption of private 5G and unlock advanced edge AI and physical AI use cases. As organizations look to embed intelligence at the edge across global operations, the partnership will enable AI-driven, outcome-focused transformation.

By combining Ericsson’s Private 5G and Edge platforms with NTT DATA’s full-stack enterprise network services, wireless network expertise, IT/OT security and managed services, the companies will deliver industry-ready solutions that help enterprises deploy private 5G networks and deliver business outcomes at a global scale with confidence.

The partnership will focus on four priority areas:

• Global Private 5G managed services at scale: NTT DATA will act as one of Ericsson’s key global system integration and managed services providers, delivering Private 5G as a fully managed service with consistent architecture, operations and security worldwide.
• AI embedded directly into enterprise connectivity: NTT DATA Edge AI agents will run on Ericsson’s enterprise Edge platforms, enabling real-time intelligence and autonomous decision-making where data is generated.
• Repeatable industry solutions: The companies will be able to deliver proven private 5G, edge AI and physical AI use cases across manufacturing, mining, ports, airports, energy, transportation and smart cities, helping enterprises accelerate deployment and realize measurable ROI.
• Unified global go-to-market: Joint sales, marketing and delivery will give enterprises a single, consistent path to deployment, reduce vendor complexity and speed time to value.

The partnership will initially focus on high-impact use cases across industries, including the following:

• Manufacturing: Automated quality inspection, predictive maintenance and real-time safety monitoring using sensor and vision data.
• Transportation, ports and logistics: Autonomous operations driven by real-time vehicle and asset data for dynamic routing, tracking and safety.
• Energy and mining: Remote and autonomous operations, intelligent inspection and AI-driven monitoring in complex and hazardous environments.
• Smart cities: Intelligent traffic management, public safety monitoring and real-time optimization of energy and municipal services.

Ericsson and Mastercard today announce a collaboration to reshape how money moves across the world. By integrating the Ericsson Fintech Platform (Mobile Financial Services) with Mastercard Move – Mastercard’s portfolio of money movement solutions – the collaboration will empower telecom service providers, banks, and fintechs to expand digital wallet capabilities, launch new payment services, and reach unbanked or underbanked communities.

Ericsson’s pre-integrated application programming interfaces (APIs), cloud-native deployment and compliance-ready infrastructure simplifies fintech connectivity to Mastercard Move.

These capabilities reduce technology complexity, lower operational barriers (by simplifying integration, deployment and compliance) and accelerate time to market for new payment services – all aimed at catalyzing innovation and growth in the sector.

The Ericsson-Mastercard collaboration transforms how financial services are built, delivered and scaled. It creates new revenue streams and strengthens digital ecosystems across emerging and developed markets.

Financial inclusion and accessibility are key focuses of the collaboration. Mastercard Move enables money movement across 200 countries and territories, connecting more than ten billion endpoints, and supporting transactions in 150 currencies.

Ericsson’s fintech platform operates in 22 countries, serving more than 120 million active users and processing more than four billion transactions every month across digital wallets, payments, remittances, lending, and loyalty services – all backed by enterprise-grade security.

Mastercard Move‘s integration into Ericsson’s Fintech Platform aims to accelerate the adoption of digital payments and expand participation in the digital economy. The global rollout will begin in the Middle East and Africa, where demand for mobile money, remittances and interoperable payment services is particularly strong.

Related link: Ericsson Mobile Financial Services

Ericsson has announced a major joint Microsoft-Ericsson development in enterprise mobility – the integration of advanced 5G capabilities directly into Windows 11. The transformative results mean enterprises worldwide – and their workforces – stand to benefit from secure, policy-driven laptop connectivity, simplifying how IT departments manage, protect and scale mobile PC fleets.

The joint solution combines Microsoft Intune device management with Ericsson Enterprise 5G Connect (formerly Ericsson Enterprise Virtual Cellular Network – EVCN) – an AI- and cloud-analytics-powered platform that continuously monitors network quality and automatically adjusts connectivity for best performance and security.

The embedding of AI-based 5G management into Windows 11 enables IT teams to automate how devices connect, seamlessly switch between communications service providers’ (CSPs) networks, and apply in-house enterprise policies.

Through Microsoft Intune and Ericsson Enterprise 5G Connect, IT teams can automatically enforce secure connectivity profiles and enterprise policies across every 5G-connected device, minimizing manual setup while ensuring consistent, compliant user experiences everywhere employees work.

Such automation capabilities remove long-standing challenges in adopting cellular-connected laptops – minimizing manual setup and ensuring consistent user experience across locations and service providers.  The new capabilities also reduce IT overheads and provide enterprises with a predictable, secure pathway to tap modern mobility capabilities – powered by the most secure and cloud‑integrated version of Windows.

Building on Microsoft and Ericsson’s long-standing collaboration to bring managed 5G connectivity to the enterprise workspace, today’s announcement follows several successful multi-market pilots. In collaboration with CSPs and other global partners, Microsoft and Ericsson will deliver enterprise 5G bundles, starting with Surface Copilot+ PCs, Microsoft 365 and Intune, Ericsson Enterprise 5G Connect.

In addition to demonstrating solution capabilities, Microsoft and Ericsson will give attendees at MWC Barcelona 2026 – the world’s largest mobile connectivity expo – exclusive insights to future solution capabilities that are set to become part of the solution.

Experts will showcase the joint solution and its new features: to remotely set network policies for 5G as priority; the automatic switching of eSIMs; and the local AI agent running on a Surface 5G laptop to make intelligent, context-aware decisions in real time. This will show connectivity performance is optimized to ensure consistently smooth, reliable performance for high-value business workflows.

The joint solution is now available to enterprises in key markets: in the United States with T-Mobile; in Sweden with Telenor; in Singapore with Singtel; and in Japan with SoftBank Corp. Similar launches will follow during 2026 in other markets, including in Spain with MasOrange; in Germany with O2 Telefónica Germany; and in Finland with Elisa.

Related link: Ericsson Portfolio: Ericsson Enterprise 5G Connect

Ericsson is addressing the growing need for resilient, intelligent connectivity in mobile environments with the new Ericsson Cradlepoint R2400 and extensible RC1250 modem. Designed for vehicles and mobile field teams, this solution combines ultra-fast failover, precise location services, and powerful edge computing to help organizations operate safely, efficiently, and with confidence.

Whether it’s first responders coordinating life-saving missions, transit operators keeping passengers connected and on schedule, or private fleets optimizing routes and conducting predictive maintenance, the R2400 delivers the reliability and performance these sectors demand. Compatible with public safety networks and new network slicing services, the R2400 leverages the latest in 5G standalone Release 17 technology to support new capabilities across public safety, mass transit, and private fleet networks.

Key highlights include:

• Fast carrier failover: Industry-first Dual‑SIM / Dual Standby (DSDS) on a single modem enables carrier switchover roughly 10× faster than previous approaches keeping voice, video, and data flowing during critical missions and transit routes.
• Centimetre‑level location accuracy: Real‑Time Kinematics (RTK) combined with dead‑reckoning improves positioning from 1–3 metres to ~1 cm, enabling lane‑level vehicle identification and precise real-time tracking of personnel, assets, and drones.
• Multi-link resiliency: Support for up to five simultaneous cellular plus multiple low‑Earth‑orbit (LEO) satellite connections maximizes throughput and availability, even in rural or low‑coverage areas.
• High‑performance in‑vehicle Wi‑Fi: Embedded 4×4 software defined Wi‑Fi 7 access point delivers approximately 2-4× faster Wi‑Fi speeds for passenger and operational communications across mass transit and public safety.

As first responders and mass-transit agencies adopt AI, real-time monitoring, and autonomous vehicles/drones, reliable, scalable in-vehicle connectivity is becoming critical. According to Verizon’s Frontline Study 2025, 46 per cent of first responders in the U.S. expect daily AI use within five years, and 48 per cent expect daily drone use. The National Academies Autonomous Transit Survey (2024) found that 84 per cent of U.S. transit agencies plan to use or evaluate autonomous buses within three to five years. Paired with the extensible RC1250 modem, the R2400 delivers pay-as-you-grow WAN capacity for applications such as live video streaming, while providing on-board local AI inferencing.

Key improvements over prior generations of products include:

• Expanded edge compute: 2.5x more on‑device compute to support local AI inferencing, computer vision, and to support enhanced performance for containerized applications—accelerating actionable insights on scene.
• Faster security processing: 2x more throughput to support NetCloud SASE’s zero-trust security and SD-WAN services to provide a highly secure and optimized WAN network across fleets, sites, and critical assets.
• Future‑proof modularity: Unique extensible architecture allows organizations to add or upgrade 5G modems as carrier technology evolves, without replacing the router.
• AI-assisted centralized management and orchestration: In addition to providing centralized visibility to every vehicle and its location, NetCloud offers the industry’s first agentic AI virtual expert optimized for enterprise 5G networking to help improve the productivity of lean IT teams. AIOps dashboards help pinpoint anomalies before impacting service.

The Ericsson Cradlepoint R2400 router and RC1250 captive modem accessory will be available in Q2 2026. For more information, visit the website.