The IT Nerd

Ericsson today announced its recognition as a Leader in the IDC MarketScape: European Enterprise Private 5G Solutions 2025 Vendor Assessment.

The IDC MarketScape assessment evaluates enterprise private 5G solution providers, focusing on their capabilities and strategic initiatives for delivering robust and scalable connectivity solutions. We believe Ericsson’s recognition reflects its commitment to innovation and excellence in meeting the diverse needs of industries across Europe and globally.

The IDC MarketScape report states: “The creation of a dedicated enterprise unit [in Ericsson] reflects a major strategic shift. This unit focuses specifically on private network solutions, enterprise mobility, and vertical-specific use cases, demonstrating Ericsson’s ambition to compete not only as a network vendor, but as a solution provider for digital enterprise infrastructure.”

Ericsson’s strategic transformation and creation of its enterprise unit is supported and bolstered by its professional services and streamlined partner ecosystem. This approach enables scalable enterprise deployments and seamless integration with broader digital transformation initiatives, making Ericsson a trusted partner for industries such as manufacturing, mining, ports, airports, and energy.

Full sourcing – IDC MarketScape: European Enterprise Private 5G Solutions 2025 Vendor Assessment, #EUR253555324, 20 JUN 2025

For more information on Ericsson’s Enterprise Private 5G solutions, please visit https://www.ericsson.com/en/portfolio/enterprise-wireless-solutions.

Ericsson today announced the findings of its annual State of Enterprise Connectivity report for Canada, which finds that while connectivity is vital to increase innovation and to enable companies to be competitive, challenges such as cost are hindering its progression in the country. The report underscores the need for business investment in advanced network infrastructure to help drive efficiency and to position Canada as a world-class leader in innovation.

According to those surveyed, organizations in Canada are facing an unpredictable business environment. Investing in technology such as AI and IoT can help them navigate this with improved productivity and processes. However, strong, reliable connectivity is needed to support these efforts.

As in previous years, the 2025 Censuswide research indicates unreliable connectivity is a main area of concern for respondents, with downtime directly affecting their business. As some Canadian businesses have recently experienced, unforeseen challenges including weather-related issues, carrier/service provider issues and networking configuration errors can cause network downtime. For organizations that rely on technology for their day-to-day business, outages can be costly and debilitating. The survey found the main impacts of unreliable connectivity over the last 12 months include higher operational costs (46 percent), operational inefficiencies (45 percent) and an increase in waste (31 percent).

Furthermore, as more than half of Canadian companies (56 percent) are enforcing people to be in the office more in 2025 — 42 percent of respondents said they are already fully office-based — the top factor Canadian businesses consider to encourage workers back to the office is to improve office connectivity (56 percent). Just one in five Canadian companies (19 percent) reported they are fully remote.

Reliable, affordable connectivity needed to position Canada as a world-class leader

The annual survey of over 500 respondents across various industries in Canada found the majority (90 percent) of Canadian businesses agree that more secure, reliable and high performing networks such as 5G will help to position the country as a world class industrial and technology leader. Additionally, the survey found 5G connectivity will play an important role in advancing the competitiveness of Canadian businesses.

• 46 percent believe 5G will improve bandwidth
• 44 percent say it will be a key enabler for the development of IoT, AI and other technological applications
• 43 percent indicated it will improve security

Six out of 10 respondents said affordable connectivity across the country will support Canadians to realize the benefits of a digital transformation. More than half (52 percent) of those surveyed believe that investment by the private sector in infrastructure for high-speed and high-capacity wireless and wireline technologies will support this, and 49 percent cited access to connectivity for all Canadians. According to the report, key investment areas that should be made for private and public Canadian organizations to address the advancement of connectivity include:

• Improved reliability of communication networks (48 percent – a 21 percent increase compared to 2024)
• Faster roll-out of 5G/advanced wireless networks to rural areas (47 percent – a 24 percent increase compared to 2024)
• Stronger security (45 percent)

Connectivity needed to unlock the true power of AI

Many Canadian companies are already leveraging 5G to maximize their business for production efficiency (68 percent), customer experience (62 percent), enhancing scalability (57 percent) and reliability/resilience (56 percent).

Respondents indicated they also believe that 5G connectivity and next-generation technologies, such as AI, have a symbiotic relationship. For example, nearly 85 percent of respondents said AI helps improve their network performance by automating analysis and reducing the manual workload on their IT team. Almost nine of 10 (87 percent) also agree that 5G is critical to optimizing the use of AI within the workplace.

Another area of growth is the implementation of IoT devices, which can help increase productivity, reduce worker burnout, and improve safety. Looking ahead over the next 12 months, the top connected IoT devices planned for implementation by Canadian businesses include predictive maintenance (46 percent); sensors (41 percent); digital signage (41 percent); and cameras (39 percent).

Improving productivity through innovation

There are, however, factors businesses believe are hindering the progression of connectivity in Canada, with nearly half (47 percent) citing the cost of services from network-operating telecoms/providers as the biggest issue. Forty-three (43) percent of those surveyed said complex and lengthy permitting processes for deploying connectivity infrastructure are affecting progression, while 38 percent said strict data protection rules across Canada, such as Law 25 in Quebec and Ontario’s Bill 194, are also a hindrance.

For more insights, read the full report here.

Ericsson and Supermicro today announced an intent to engage in a strategic collaboration to accelerate Edge AI deployment. The parties have signed a Memorandum of Understanding to explore the combination of Ericsson Enterprise Wireless Solutions’ industry-leading 5G connectivity with Supermicro’s industry-leading Edge AI platforms into commercial bundles that will:

• Deliver advanced Edge AI capabilities that leverage 5G network connectivity as a key value-add attribute
• Simplify procurement and deployment with a unified solution with pre-validated AI compute and 5G connectivity

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 centre, 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.

Supermicro continues to expand its extensive portfolio of infrastructure products supporting Edge AI applications with product choices ranging from small fanless devices to shoe-box 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.

Ericsson’s wireless WAN portfolio of indoor and outdoor low-and-mid band wireless adapters and their 5G, SD-WAN, and security appliances are critical components for an enterprise when traditional wired connectivity may be inconvenient or even unavailable for some of these edge deployments. In these situations, 5G can serve as the primary WAN connection or even as a backup WAN connection for business-critical deployments. With Ericsson’s solution, enterprises will also be able to take advantage of 5G functionality including network slicing, cellular intelligence, and zero trust security.

Specific industry applications include:

• 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.

Enterprise customers and system integrators can learn more by visiting the Supermicro booth # P10, Pavillion 7 at NVIDIA GTC Paris, June 11-12, 2025 or by visiting https://supermicro.com/en/solutions/ericsson for further solution and product details.

As some Canadian businesses have recently experienced, unforeseen challenges including weather-related issues, carrier/service provider issues and networking configuration errors can cause network downtime. For organizations that rely on technology — including network and application access — for their day-to-day business, outages are costly and debilitating.

According to last year’s 2024 State of Connectivity report from Ericsson Enterprise Wireless Solutions (formerly Cradlepoint), shared downtime continued to impact Canadian businesses. More than half (53 per cent) of respondents experienced one to two hours of connectivity downtime per week on average over the previous 12 months, resulting from fixed line/fibre network failure. Additionally, 28 per cent of Canadian businesses experienced three to four hours of downtime per week. Those connectivity issues resulted in higher operational costs (45 per cent), operational inefficiencies (41 per cent), and loss of talent (36 per cent), affecting productivity and the ability for organizations to be competitive.

Tips – Failover strategies for businesses

There are, however, ways for business to protect themselves. Failover strategies enable network data to be rerouted on a secondary or back up network if the primary network link fails, enablingorganizations to continue to operate as usual.

Below are three recommended failover strategies from Jason Falovo, Vice President and General Manager, Canada at Ericsson EWS, to enable businesses to stay connected.

Add link/connection diversity: In many cases, an organization’s internet connection relies upon a single wire running to their chosen internet service provider (ISP), which could not only be affected by a provider’s outage, but also by weather or other forces of nature. While adding a second Wide Area Network (WAN) connection can be a simple and fast way to reduce the risk of losing connectivity, that second wire is just as susceptible to risks as the first. Instead, consider adding a satellite or cellular wireless link which offers not only backup, but also diversity to the network. If the wired connection goes down, rapid failover can seamlessly switch to the second connection, minimizing network and service disruption. Another option is to add a wireless connection to an existing router using a 5G or LTE adapter, then relying on its SD-WAN and failover functionality.

Ensure dual-carrier connectivity: It’s no longer practical to rely on just one telecom carrier or internet provider. Relying on a single service provider is another risk point for branch continuity. Network congestion, routing and DNS issues, and core network outages are just some of the potential incidents that can disrupt business operations.

You can reduce the risk of carrier disruptions by using two links with two different wireless carriers. The separate infrastructure adds network diversity, making it highly unlikely that both would be unavailable at the same time. You can set the two connections as a primary and a backup, or use both connections in tandem to increase bandwidth. Wireless WANs also bring greater agility and make easier to open new locations or move existing ones, which can be especially useful for short-term or temporary locations. The simplest way to employ two wireless carriers is to use a 5G or LTE router that supports two modems, providing advanced network awareness and routing capabilities. With routers that have this capability, deployment is easy as adding a second modem and SIM card to the device. A dual modem router has two active radio connections, allowing SIM cards from different carriers to be active at the same time without the downtime of switching between the two.

Add hardware redundancy: Routers can go offline for many reasons, and can often require a site visit to fix, leaving the location isolated until tech support arrives. Redundant or mirrored routers are an effective protection against router downtime. These routers monitor each other, with the backup automatically taking over if the primary router or WAN connection fails, switching back when the primary is restored.

With a primary and backup router IT can safely stage updates, configuration changes, and other periodic maintenance without risking business-critical communications.

Adding different WAN connections or carriers to each router provides additional protection from common business continuity risks. If the backup router has a lower bandwidth connection, traffic policies ensure that essential traffic is prioritized.

In today’s business environment, where organizations and their employees rely heavily on applications housed in the cloud or data centre, down time is not an option. A network failover strategy is critical to ensuring the redundancy needed to keep your business running, even when networks go down.

Ericsson today announced an expansion of its NetCloud SASE with clientless Zero Trust Network Access. This innovation empowers organizations to securely connect third-party and BYOD users to authorized resources with enhanced security. Building on Ericsson’s existing client-based ZTNA, the new solution offers flexibility for lean IT teams navigating managed and unmanaged devices in dynamic, wireless-first settings. 

According to KPMG, 73 per cent of organizations have experienced at least one major disruption tied to third-party cyber incidents over the past three years. Ericsson’s clientless ZTNA solution enhances protection against these events with embedded isolation technology. Unlike other clientless solutions relying solely on access controls, NetCloud SASE activates application sessions in isolated cloud containers for unmanaged or BYOD device access. This air-gaps corporate systems from potentially insecure devices, preventing malware spread into the enterprise. 

Key features of NetCloud SASE with clientless ZTNA include: 

• Clientless Secure Access: Contractors and BYOD users can access isolated applications via a secure URL, eliminating the need for VPNs, clients or special browsers. 
• IoT/OT asset and corporate application protection: Interactions between unmanaged users and corporate systems are isolated in cloud containers, safeguarding applications from potential malware infections. 
• Granular access based on least privilege: Access is controlled by detailed policies based on user roles, device types, and other factors, ensuring users receive only the necessary level of access. 
• Continuous Risk Assessment: Real-time analytics and intrusion detection system/intrusion prevention system (IDS/IPS) allow for instant access revocation in response to changes in user context and risk levels. 
• Zero-trust based: This unique architecture removes the need for static public IP addresses, hides all internal IPs, defaults to deny all, and enables micro-segmentation, which prevents lateral movement within the network. 
• Single-platform Management: Integrated into NetCloud Manager for simplified deployment, visibility, and policy enforcement alongside 5G WWAN, SD-WAN, and other SASE security features. 
• Seamless integration with Existing Identity Providers: Leverages existing enterprise Identity and Access Management (IAM) platforms for seamless user authentication and authorization, preventing identity sprawl. 

NetCloud SASE with clientless ZTNA is now available and included as part of the NetCloud ZTNA license. The solution will be showcased at RSA Conference on April 28, 2025, marking the first time an enterprise 5G router vendor has delivered a fully integrated, clientless ZTNA solution under fully unified management.  

To learn more about Ericsson Enterprise Wireless Solutions security capabilities, please visit the Ericsson NetCloud SASE page. 

Ericsson today announced the launch of its new wireless-first architecture that brings agility and scale to branch networking. Designed to support higher-bandwidth, business-critical AI-powered operations, it combines diverse WAN connectivity, LAN switching, network slicing, and zero-trust through unified management to deliver scalable and secure high-performance branch networking. From virtual experts in insurance offices to computer vision applications in remote healthcare clinics, distributed sites increasingly rely on always-on connectivity to support business-critical operations and deliver modern customer experiences.

According to IDC, by 2026, 90 per cent of enterprises will integrate generative AI into their connectivity strategy – underscoring the growing need for secure, scalable, and easily managed networks. As 5G Advanced gains momentum, enterprises are moving beyond traditional best-effort services and seeking predictable performance for business-critical applications through services such as network slicing. Ericsson’s wireless-first branch architecture – combining the Cradlepoint E400, new LAN switches and access points, and NetCloud Manager – provides enterprises with a future-ready connectivity foundation to unlock the full potential of AI-driven innovation.

Key components of Ericsson’s new wireless-first branch architecture include the following:

• The new Cradlepoint E400 is a next-generation routing and security appliance that serves as the core of the architecture – providing integrated support for 3GPP Release 17 5G, Wi-Fi 7, and LEO satellite WANs to deliver high-performance, scalable connectivity from virtually anywhere.
• New Cradlepoint LAN switches and access points, which extend LAN capacity and are unified under Ericsson NetCloud Manager to augment LAN solutions from existing technical alliance partner solutions.
• Ericsson NetCloud Manager additionally provides centralized control and provisioning of embedded eSIM and dual-SIM capabilities, enabling remote profile configuration, seamless carrier switching, and streamlined deployment for lean IT teams.
• Ericsson NetCloud SASE, SD-WAN, and 5G network slicing capabilities which enhance reliable performance and security across diverse WAN connections. While SD-WAN, link bonding and SASE optimize traffic across wired, cellular, and satellite links, network slicing delivers isolated, secure 5G slices with use-case specific parameters for business-critical applications.

To fully unlock AI’s potential, lean IT teams must be able to deliver modernized branch operations that support AI applications with scalable, secure, and resilient wireless connectivity. Ericsson’s wireless-first architecture – powered by the E400, NetCloud Manager, and LAN infrastructure – gives IT teams and carriers the flexibility, performance, and security needed to deploy and manage AI-ready connectivity across distributed branch sites.

All products are available immediately. For more information on the Ericsson Cradlepoint E400 routing and security appliances visit here; for details about Ericsson Cradlepoint LAN switches visit here; and information on Wi-Fi access points, visit here.

Aduna, a landmark venture between some of the world’s leading telecom operators and Ericsson have announced a strategic partnership with Canada’s EnStream LP, marking a comprehensive Canadian expansion of its network API ecosystem.

The collaboration will enable seamless access to telecom network APIs from Bell, Rogers, and TELUS – Canada’s three leading nationwide operators – empowering developers and enterprises worldwide to build and scale next-generation digital services with greater security and efficiency.

EnStream, a joint venture between Bell, Rogers, and TELUS, has been instrumental in positioning Canada as a global leader in network APIs. By leveraging mobile data across the country’s largest telecom providers, EnStream has facilitated secure, frictionless authentication and fraud prevention solutions for businesses, including major financial institutions.

Through this partnership, EnStream’s powerful APIs will be integrated into Aduna’s platform, accelerating global adoption of telecom-enabled security and verification services. Among these are:

• Number Verification: A seamless, silent authentication method that enhances user experience while strengthening security
• SIM Swap Protection:A critical fraud prevention tool that detects potential account takeovers, helping businesses mitigate identity theft and cyber threats.

With full nationwide coverage exceeding 90 percent, Canada stands as a core innovation hub within Aduna’s ecosystem. Global enterprises will now have access to a live testbed for telecom-driven authentication and fraud prevention, gaining insights that can be scaled internationally through Aduna’s standardized (CAMARA-based) global network APIs.

This expansion reinforces Aduna’s footprint across North America – covering Canada, the U.S., and Mexico – a major region for the global network API market. Additionally, telecom operators worldwide can leverage insights from Canada’s real-world implementations to enhance their own network API strategies.

This partnership cements Canada’s role as a springboard for global network API success, offering enterprises unparalleled access to real-time, telecom-powered intelligence to drive security, innovation, and seamless digital experiences worldwide.

Customers of Australian communications service provider (CSP) Telstra are set to become the first in the Asia-Pacific region to benefit from a high-performing, programmable network with 5G Advanced capabilities, thanks to a major partnership with Ericsson. 

Under the four-year deal, Telstra will upgrade its radio access network (RAN) with Ericsson’s next-generation Open RAN-ready hardware solutions and 5G Advanced software. It will also implement AI and automation to optimize network management through self-detection and self-healing capabilities.  

The transformation will power Telstra with one of the most advanced, resilient and reliable 5G networks in the world. Telstra’s programmable network will provide a platform for innovative application development and the ability to tailor superior connectivity to the unique requirements of its customers, including new performance-based offerings. 

Further, it will open the network to tech innovators from wider ecosystems via network APIs (Application Programming Interfaces). 

The adoption and acceleration in uptake of network APIs, and how they can drive telecom industry monetization opportunities, is also the focus of the recently announced global venture, Aduna, of which Ericsson and Telstra are founding members. Telstra’s new 5G Advanced network capabilities will be central to the delivery of such API-based services. 

The high-performing capabilities of the 5G Standalone (5G SA) solutions involved are also key to enabling the next-generation use cases and developer innovation that will make Industry 4.0 a reality in Australia. 

OTHER TELSTRA BENEFITS

The new network will maximize Telstra’s spectrum investments and operational efficiency. It aims to double 5G capacity, deliver improved consistency of service, increase depth of coverage, increase uplink and downlink speeds, and reduce energy consumption.

In addition, it will enable the transformation of traditional one-size fits all mobile services towards differentiated connectivity, where consumers and enterprises can create their own service experience. 

MORE ON THE TECH

Solutions include Ericsson’s Open RAN-ready Massive MIMO radios and new RAN Compute solutions as well as Ericsson’s latest 5G Advanced subscriptions to deliver new services, drive operational efficiency, and increase performance. The scope also includes Ericsson Intelligent Automation Platform (EIAP), Ericsson’s open network management and automation platform for open, multi-vendor and multi-technology networks, supporting all 4G and 5G RAN. 

EIAP will improve network management and automation by leveraging EIAP and developer eco-system tools to create and deploy custom applications (rApps) that employ advanced automation techniques, including machine learning and AI, to optimize the network and deliver improved sustainable operations.

This latest partnership extension builds on Ericsson and Telstra’s long-standing collaboration across radio access networks, core, optical, transport and business support systems.

ADUNA

In addition to Ericsson and Telstra, the founding members of Aduna are América Móvil, AT&T, Bharti Airtel, Deutsche Telekom, Orange, Reliance Jio, Singtel, Telefonica, T-Mobile, Verizon, and Vodafone.

The venture was announced in September 2024, with the company name announced in January 2025.  It aims to combine and sell network APIs on a global scale to spur innovation in digital services.

Partners will open their networks to make advanced capabilities easily accessible to millions of developers world-wide, through a global platform for aggregated network APIs. This aim is to drive new use cases across multiple industries and sectors. 

JLR is accelerating industrial connectivity at its plant in Solihull, England, with the implementation of Ericsson Private 5G. This cutting-edge networking technology is enhancing the production of Range Rover vehicles by supporting business-critical applications such as vision systems, IoT sensors, and production tools. Leveraging Ericsson’s high-speed, low-latency, and secure private 5G solution, JLR is setting new standards in modern automotive manufacturing. 

The deployment of Ericsson Private 5G is a pivotal step for JLR in embracing Industry 4.0. JLR is creating a more agile and innovative manufacturing environment to support IoT devices, artificial intelligence (AI), and automation with an eye toward automated guided vehicles (AGVs). The limitations of traditional wired networks drove JLR to “cut the copper” by replacing those networks with Ericsson’s robust 5G capabilities, allowing for seamless and real-time data transmission. This transformation ensures that JLR’s manufacturing processes are not only connected but also agile and efficient, leading to streamlined operations. 

Private 5G is driving greater workflow efficiency at JLR, with manufacturing teams already sharing positive feedback. Through enhanced connectivity, maintenance and production managers can now turn data insights and simulations into tangible operational efficiencies with DataOps platforms such as Litmus. Consolidating and analyzing data empowers JLR decision-makers on the factory floor to quickly innovate and optimize manufacturing processes. Additionally, private 5G enables JLR to quickly swap and provision new or broken connected tools, significantly reducing downtime and enabling quicker modifications to the production line. 

Fujitsu has partnered with Ericsson to deliver the connectivity of this comprehensive, end-to-end private 5G-based operations at the Solihull plant. This collaboration paves the way for JLR to explore use cases at other sites in the future. 

Ericsson today announced the launch of the Cradlepoint X20 5G Router, enabling enterprise-class fixed wireless access (FWA) connectivity for small- to medium-sized and home-based businesses, temporary sites, and remote workers. The Ericsson Cradlepoint X20 delivers powerful, plug-and-play FWA 5G connectivity with advanced network slicing and security capabilities. Featuring cutting-edge routing, switching, and Wi-Fi 7, the X20 ensures robust, easy-to-maintain connectivity essential for critical business operations. Now enterprises can quickly deploy high-bandwidth 5G connectivity, with unprecedented reliability enabled by dual-SIM failover capabilities and an eight-hour battery backup. 

Organizations are increasingly seeking agile, scalable connectivity to keep pace with evolving digital demands. IDC reports that by 2026, 75 per cent of enterprises will have assigned all deployment responsibility, operational control, and technology innovation for at least one major network domain to a trusted management partner. With the availability and cutting-edge capabilities of the Cradlepoint X20, service providers can offer managed services with tiered service packages catering to diverse customer needs and differentiate themselves in a rapidly expanding market. 

Capabilities of the Cradlepoint X20 Router span different types of business use cases including the following: 

• Small-to-Medium Sized Businesses: The X20 5G Router provides SMBs, such as retail stores and small offices, with reliable, high-speed connectivity without traditional wired infrastructure. Easy installation and scalability allow businesses to enhance operations and adapt as they grow.
• Temporary Sites: Perfect for pop-up stores, mobile clinics, and construction sites, the X20 ensures rapid deployment and flexibility. Its wireless design supports critical operations with high-speed 5G connectivity in dynamic environments. 
• Remote Workers and Home-Based Businesses: Ideal for remote and hybrid workers, the X20 offers easy setup and portable, high-speed internet for seamless access to cloud applications, video calls, and collaborative tools. 

The Ericsson Cradlepoint X20 5G Router will be available in April 2025. For more information, visit https://cradlepoint.com/product/endpoints/x20/.