Orange advances towards full ownership of Spanish JV

What happened: Orange signed a binding agreement to acquire the remaining 50 per cent stake in its Spanish JV MasOrange from partner Lorca for €4.3 billion, moving towards full ownership of the business.

Why it matters: The transaction follows an initial agreement reached at the end of October and is subject to regulatory approval and customary closing conditions, with completion expected in the first half of 2026. Orange said the deal would accelerate its strategy and strengthen its position in Spain, its second-largest European market. The operator added the deal “confirms its long-term industrial commitment” in the country and its “confidence in MasOrange and its management to create value for all stakeholders”. CFO Laurent Martinez said the acquisition “marks a decisive step in strengthening Orange’s leadership in Europe”, citing MasOrange’s scale of more than 30 million customers. MasOrange was created last year through a merger of Masmovil and Orange’s Spanish operation, following Lorca’s acquisition of Masmovil in 2020. Thomas Railhac, partner at Lorca backer Cinven, said the deal punctuates MasOrange’s “transformational growth story” of becoming Spain’s largest mobile operator, with its enterprise value rising from €5 billion to more than €20 billion.

US halts technology trade talks with UK

What happened: The US suspended technology-related trade talks with the UK, halting progress on a bilateral “technology prosperity deal” agreed during US President Donald Trump’s state visit to Britain in September.

Why it matters: According to the BBC, Trump’s administration paused discussions last week amid frustration over the pace of wider trade negotiations as the US lobbies for concessions beyond the scope of the technology partnership. The agreement, designed to boost cooperation in areas including AI, quantum computing and nuclear energy, reportedly also included £31 billion in investments from US heavyweights including Microsoft, Nvidia and Google. Despite the setback, a spokesman for UK Prime Minister Keir Starmer told the publication the UK remains in “active conversations with US counterparts at all levels of government”, while cautioning that “negotiations of this kind are never straightforward”. Allie Renison, director of communications company SEC Newgate UK, told the BBC the impasse reflected the countries’ “slightly piecemeal approach” to trade deals. “Instead of having everything done at once, different areas are being linked to different parts,” she said, adding that concerns in other trade areas were feeding into technology talks. While questions remain over the pledged investments, Renison argued the disruption was unlikely to be more than “a bit of posturing in the wider negotiations”.

Ericsson, stc strike deal to drive digital in Saudi Arabia

What happened: Ericsson signed a five-year agreement with stc to support the development of Saudi Arabia’s digital infrastructure, with a focus on 5G hardware and software, cloud-native technologies and advanced AI capabilities.

Why it matters: Under the agreement, stc will use Ericsson’s latest portfolio to accelerate its 5G expansion and advance the rollout of standalone (SA) 5G, 5G-Advanced and massive MIMO. The operator said SA 5G features, including network slicing, will enable it to deliver differentiated connectivity across a range of consumer and enterprise use cases, supporting its aim to develop a “scalable, resilient and future-ready mobile network”. The partnership also aims to support Saudi Arabia’s Vision 2030 government programme, alongside longer-term readiness for 6G and self-optimising networks. Abdullah Alowini, supply chain VP at stc, said the agreement will help accelerate enterprise innovation and support the country’s ambition to “build a globally competitive digital economy”. Ericsson and stc have a long-standing partnership, which has included the rollout of one of the country’s first 5G networks in 2019. The deal also strengthens Ericsson’s presence in a strategically important market, following its announcement earlier this year its new Middle East and Africa headquarters will be in Riyadh.

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Deployments of the AIR 3255 Massive MIMO antenna-integrated radios began earlier this month. They cover the 4.5GHz band.

Ericsson explained the latest radios are compatible with Docomo’s existing 3.7GHz Massive MIMO equipment, a pairing it stated would boost the flexibility and reliability of the operator’s network.

Masafumi Masuda, SVP and general manager of Docomo’s RAN design department, said the AIR 3255 equipment would help it “maintain and improve network quality” at a time of growing demand.

The Ericsson equipment advances Docomo’s overall Massive MIMO rollout, the executive said.

Docomo might be seeking customer experience improvements, but Ericsson emphasised the equipment would also improve its operational metrics through reductions in power consumption and weight.

It stated the AIR 3255 equipment weighs 13kg, 20 per cent less than its previous generation. Power consumption is cut by 25 per cent and embodied CO2 footprint by 20 per cent.

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Through a Master Frame Agreement, stc will tap Ericsson’s latest portfolio of solutions, building on a long-standing agreement between the pair which included work to launch Saudi Arabia’s first 5G network in 2019.

The operator said it will use Ericsson’s technologies to accelerate 5G expansion and the rollout of standalone 5G, 5G-Advanced and massive MIMO.

Using standalone 5G features including network slicing, stc pointed to the potential to offer differentiated connectivity for a wide range of use cases across the consumer and enterprise segments.

Longer term, the deal is touted as being aligned to Saudi Arabia’s 2030 government vision and aims around readiness for 6G and self-optimising networks.

Stc wants to develop a “scalable, resilient and future-ready mobile network”, advancing digital inclusion and next-generation technology adoption across the Kingdom.

Abdullah Alowini, supply chain VP at stc said the agreement will help it accelerate enterprise innovation and supports an ambition to “build a globally competitive digital economy”.

Earlier this year, Ericsson deepened its commitment to Saudi Arabia by announcing Riyadh, Saudi Arabia, would be the headquarters for its Africa and Middle East operations.

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The Swedish vendor stated it will use LotusFlare’s cloud platform, which provides consent management and digital commerce solutions, to help it expose and monetise advanced network capabilities via APIs.

Both companies will use its partnership to provide “common solution blueprints”, designed to accelerate a communication service provider’s journey “towards network API monetisation”.

Niklas Heuveldop, SVP head of business area Global Communications Platform and CEO of Ericsson cloud subsidiary Vonage said it would utilise its own programmable networks, LotusFlare’s network abstraction capabilities and API supergroup Aduna’s aggregation capabilities to drive the API opportunity for CSPs.

“By further strengthening the industry ecosystem, Ericsson is accelerating the potential for CSPs, enterprises and developers to collaborate and innovate at hyperscale, leveraging the full potential of 5G and AI,” he said.

Ericsson added that Vonage would use the accelerated supply of APIs to boost the consumption of new network capabilities by enabling developers and enterprises to build network powered solutions “that turn advanced connectivity into competitive advantage”.

The value of the transaction was not disclosed.

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In the wide-ranging biannual study, Ericsson tipped the US, Japan, South Korea, China, India and some Gulf Cooperation Council countries as those likely to make up the first tranche of commercial 6G launches.  

It indicated all of the above except India hit the button on 5G “relatively” early, so “it is expected that these countries will be among the first to roll out” commercial 6G services.

“India has been vocal in its ambition to lead in 6G technology and it is expected that the timing of the commercial 6G launch compared to other countries will happen earlier than it did for 5G,” Ericsson stated.

Europe is expected to see its first launches around a year after the leading markets due to “comparatively later deployments” of standalone (SA) 5G.

Its prediction for the upcoming mobile technology generation does not include “early uptake of AI-enabled IoT devices,” Ericsson stated, while adding the actual number of connections could “increase significantly if 6G launches earlier than previous cycles indicate”.

Commercial launches of the next-generation technology are widely expected around 2030.

Slice of the action
In terms of current technology, Ericsson stated 33 communications service providers are providing “differentiated connectivity services” using network slicing.

A total of 65 products were found to be on the market, with 53 at the proof-of-concept stage. Those commercially available are either subscription services, or add-ons for consumer or enterprise customers.

Ericsson noted around 33 per cent of the commercial offerings launched during 2025.

SA 5G is available, or had been soft launched, by more than 90 service providers, up by 20 since the previous Ericsson report published in June.

Other predictions include 6.4 billion 5G subscriptions by the end of 2031. This is expected to make-up two-thirds of total mobile subscriptions and compares with an expected 2.9 billion at the end of 2025.

Ericsson’s previous report predicted numbers to end-2030, when 5G subscriptions were expected to be 6.3 billion.

In an overview of the findings, Ericsson CTO Erik Ekudden said operators globally want to deploy SA 5G “to offer differentiated connectivity based on value services and not just data volume packages”.

He added the network generation “is already enabling differentiated connectivity opportunities. We’ve seen many service providers go from proof-of-concept to commercial deployment in 2025 alone and we expect to see that trend continuing”.

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In a statement, the vendor noted the unit will focus on 5G and 5G-Advanced features for baseband units, working in collaboration with global RAN software teams.

In June, the company invested to build capabilities in application-specific integrated circuit (ASIC) development, with initial plans to add 150 staff.

David Bjore, Ericsson’s head of RAN Software and Compute Platforms, noted the investment shows “how important India is to our work on next-generation technology”.

He added it is developing RAN software in the nation for the first time. “This is a significant step, as it not only supports India’s rising tech scene but also enables us to create solutions in the country that can have a global impact.”

In September, Andres Vicente, Ericsson’ head of Southeast Asia, Oceania and India, told The Economic Times it has long-term commitment to domestically produce all the gear it sells in India.

Ericsson also operates R&D facilities in Chennai and Gurugram.

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Robert Backhouse, CTO Americas at Nokia (pictured, second from right) argued the impact of openness on infrastructure players is more one of evolution than revolution, highlighting how its self-organising network is being used as a foundation for open RAN developments.

The executive noted operators have led the developments of “hundreds of applications” in recent years, a “closed ecosystem” which he said must now be transitioned to Nokia’s new platform and converted into rApps.

Nokia hopes to shake up the industry through a recent tie-up with chip company Nvidia. Backhouse said the pair have worked together for “about 18 months” and hope to “bring some competition” to purpose-built and cloud RAN sectors.

“We’re pretty excited about that announcement.”

Ericsson is also making openness and relevant elements a core part of its offering, senior manager of cloud and open RAN engagement David Bladsjo (pictured, second from left) said.

He highlighted big progress on automation with open management systems Ericsson and the broader industry made over the past year, and said the vendor is now looking to bolster the number of services on offer to capture “very broad” automation opportunities.

Sadayuki Abeta, CTO of OREX SAI, a joint venture between NTT Docomo and NEC (pictured, far right), highlighted there are many levels of disaggregation in the vendor space itself.

The company works with companies including HPE, NEC and other partners, enabling it to cover more bases but also share the risk.

Abeta explained such arrangements can simplify the process of introducing fresh technologies by providing access to proven systems and can contribute to delivering “more secure networks”.

Fresh talent
Everth Flores, VP and head of Samsung Networks Europe (pictured, far left) argued it is a key beneficiary of the shift to open infrastructure, flagging contracts won with Verizon, Vodafone Group and KDDI, among others.

The executive noted automation efforts are being accelerated, but also challenged, by AI, which is delivering performance improvements over traditional infrastructure, along with “operational efficiency” and the chance for Samsung to “build a strong foundation for a data-driven, software-centric network”.

Flores noted the open RAN sector is unlikely to be restricted to 4G or 5G technologies, explaining 2G is likely to remain part of the mix due to the importance of machine-to-machine services within operator’s overall proposition.

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The agreement covers around 3,000 sites across the Netherlands and will support the operator’s rollout of newly acquired 3.5GHz spectrum, upgrade existing infrastructure, deploy new radio equipment and enhance network performance management.

The network overhaul will handle rising data demand across the country and support new consumer, enterprise and IoT applications as the operator aims to boost capacity while hitting sustainability targets.

As part of the deal, Ericsson will supply its latest ultralight AIR 3255 Massive MIMO radio, which the vendor claims cuts energy use by up to 63 per cent and weighs 58 per cent less than its predecessor. Additional energy-saving solutions will also be deployed to streamline installation and ensure uninterrupted network performance.

Work on the project is set to begin this year and run through 2028, covering complete build and deployment services across VodafoneZiggo’s all-Ericsson network footprint.

VodafoneZiggo CTO Thomas Helbo said the agreement “marks another milestone in our mission to deliver world-class connectivity across the Netherlands,” noting the partnership will “improve performance, efficiency and capacity to support the country’s digital future”.

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Under the agreement, Ericsson will deploy kit supporting enhanced communication, train control and safety across SAR’s lines.

The partners plan to trial use cases including real-time video streaming, IoT connectivity and high-speed passenger broadband. The initial deployment will cover just one of its routes to assess performance under real-world conditions.

As part of the initiative, Ericsson and SAR will establish a dedicated innovation centre to trial and validate 5G applications. They will also introduce training programs to build local expertise and equip SAR’s workforce to use advanced communications technologies.

In a statement, Ericsson stated the project “highlights the transformative potential that 5G technology can offer” and “marks an important step toward the modernisation of rail communication systems in Saudi Arabia”.

The company said the joint project supports the country’s National Transport and Logistics Strategy. This is part of Saudi Vision 2030, a nationwide initiative which aims to boost connectivity, efficiency and digital transformation across Saudi Arabia.

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The partners explained their newly developed codec offers considerably higher compression efficiency than current standards without significantly increasing complexity.

They also pointed to improved energy efficiency and scalability from using the experimental technology.

Explaining there is “early evidence” the technology is “capable of meeting the requirements for the next video coding standardisation phase”, the trio stated the proof of concept had been positively evaluated by the ITU-T Video Coding Experts Group and ISO/IEC Moving Picture Experts Group. Both are involved in standardisation.

The next standard in this area is expected to come into operation in 2029 or 2030, around the same time forecast for early 6G deployments.

Future protocols in this area are expected to support a wide range of video types including mobile communications and streaming, alongside immersive and low-latency applications expected to emerge in the 6G era.

The partners identified a range of potential supported uses including professional, user and AI-generated content; gaming and 3D media; content for machine consumption; and automotive and industrial applications.

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In a blog, AT&T stated the accomplishment showcases the interoperability and flexibility of open RAN, underscoring the importance of collaboration in developing next-generation, open and programmable networks capable of transforming the mobile industry.

The call over AT&T’s commercial network paired Ericsson’s high-capacity RAN processor 6672 with 1Finity radios. The same arrangement was used in a laboratory trial in August.

Fujitsu struck a deal with AT&T for its open RAN efforts in December 2024, about a year after the operator named the Japanese company as a partner when it reached a $14 billion deal with Ericsson to replace Nokia equipment.

Ericsson VP and CTO for customer unit AT&T Paul Challoner, explained the1Finity radios are integrated with its Intelligent Automation Platform open RAN management and automation platform to enable multi-vendor radio compatibility.

“It is a great proof point for open RAN ecosystem collaboration,” he noted.

AT&T plans to move 70 per cent of its 5G network traffic to open hardware by late 2026.

Blog authors Rob Soni, VP of RAN technology, and Alisha Remek, VP of construction and engineering, stated AT&T has completed nearly 40 per cent of its programme to switch from Nokia radios to Ericsson.

“Additionally, we’ve added valuable mid-band (N77) spectrum to over 15,000 sites which deliver increased speeds and a greatly improved wireless experience for our customers,” they wrote.

“This accomplishment is a testament to the hard work and dedication of our teams.”

“And this achievement isn’t just a technical milestone, it’s a clear signal that the future of wireless will be open, agile and innovation driven.”

Analyst takeaway
AvidThink founder and analyst Roy Chua told Mobile World Live the open RAN deployment shows progress from laboratory to production as part of the operator’s commitment to multi-vendor RAN.

He said it bolsters the argument the open fronthaul interface is one of the more significant outcomes of the open RAN movement, including the ability to more easily integrate radios from different vendors into a mobile RAN.

“It’s still not clear how AT&T will mix and match radios across their production network and at what scale, but ecosystem diversity, even if limited to just swapping RUs, is healthy.”

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Ericsson stated the TM Forum validated its AI-powered intent-based operations platform, confirming DNB’s 5G network can operate highly automated systems independently.

At Level 4, the network uses AI to predict issues and automatically adjust to maintain optimal performance, Ericsson explained.

DNB CTO Ken Tan said autonomous networks are one of the core design principles for its 5G rollout. The TM Forum move affirms “we are on the right path and validates our blueprint for driving innovation and digital transformation at scale”, he added.

Bradley Mead, head of Managed Network Services at Ericsson, said achieving Level 4 autonomy boosts the ability of Malaysia’s network operators to offer customers “new and valuable differentiated connectivity services, based on the very latest advances in autonomous networks”.

DNB deployed Ericsson’s 5G-Advanced technology on its nationwide infrastructure early this year.

Local media reported population coverage reached 82 per cent in August after DNB deployed 7,500 base stations.

The Malaysian Communications and Multimedia Commission awarded U Mobile a second wholesale 5G network contract in 2024.

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Under the tagline ‘Imagine UK: Remixing 5G,’ the company this week invited its three big UK operator customers, enterprise clients, government policy advisors and media to a venue in London’s Soho that’s unlikely to have had many recent telco event bookings.  

Legendary record label pressing plant The Vinyl Factory played host to the afternoon shindig, with attendees entering via specialist music store Phonica Records and escorted past the shop’s turntables through to a 5,000 square foot venue space underneath the store.

Ericsson kept the music-inspired theme going as the event kicked off – mixing up a live performance that included a string quartet, scratch DJ and a saxophonist – before getting down to business.

It fell to keynote speaker Shaun Collins, group CEO of CCS Insight/FDM, to outline the rationale behind the need to ‘remix 5G.’

Collins (pictured) didn’t pull any punches. He argued that the current 5G experience in the UK is not representative of what 5G can actually do.

“The UK launched 5G in 2019 but we weren’t ready, it wasn’t really the 5G promise. All the things we talked about in 2019 haven’t been available to us.”

This is down to the fact that initial 5G deployments were based on non-standalone 5G technology, where a 5G radio network had to be connected to a 4G core network rather than a 5G core.

But Collins is optimistic that recent launches of standalone 5G from VodafoneThree, EE and Virgin Media O2 will see a big improvement in performance and open up opportunities for new service launches.

He cited growing momentum around initiatives such as GSMA Open Gateway, Ericsson-led Aduna, telco global API alliance Camara and Nokia’s Network as Code platform as proof that standalone 5G will boost APIs, in turn helping the wider economy.

“And it’s collaboration that is at the heart of network API initiatives,” he asserted.

Ericsson push
A panel of Ericsson execs were also on hand to push the narrative further.

Patrick Johansson, President & Head of EMEA at Ericsson, suggested telcos would benefit from looking to other markets for inspiration. He gave the example of broadcast TV service Sky charging users for different tiers of content, while also namechecking Singtel as a mobile operator that has successfully shaken up its consumer offering with the launch of new tiered pricing packages (giving a hat tip to the airline industry’s similar class-based pricing).

Blessing Makumbe, Ericsson’s VP and head of Cloud Software and Services for North Europe, urged mobile operators to take advantage of the vertical industry opportunity beyond enterprise. “We all understand we need to collaborate in this space. And with the introduction of AI we need to work with many more partners in this space.”

Upbeat seems a fitting way to describe the tone of the event, but it was also an honest assessment of mistakes made so far in the UK.

“Six years on we are quite excited about what 5G can now become,” CCS’ Collins summed up. “We need to catch up with the rest of the world. We were first at launching with South Korea but we should be further along. We have let ourselves down but we’re getting back on track.”

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The lab, located near Ericsson’s headquarters in Sweden, will be operational by the end of the year and will enable customers to conduct testing and provide feedback.

HPE explained in a statement the partnership addresses a growing need to deploy high-performing, scalable and efficient networks while managing the complexity of new services. Essentially, the lab will serve as an environment for interoperability testing, ensuring the dual-mode 5G core solution meets telco requirements.

The integrated solution under development includes Ericsson’s dual-mode 5G core solution, combined with HPE ProLiant Compute Gen12 servers, HPE Juniper Networking high-performance fabric and the Red Hat OpenShift cloud-native telco platform.

Fernando Castro Cristin, VP and general manager, Telco Infrastructure at HPE said the partnership would help to develop an offering providing telcos with the “flexibility to deploy rapidly, scale and demand, adapt to unpredictable traffic, provide predictable lifecycle management, and keep pace with emerging technologies”.

Ericsson Core Networks head of solution and portfolio, Krishna Prasad Kalluri, added that the vendor is committed to “drive innovation and openness, simplifying the journey to cloud-native networks for telco service providers”.

Following initial testing, the focus of the lab in the first half of 2026 will shift to validating the integrated solution to ensure faster-time-market and simplified lifecycle management.

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The company booked a net profit of SEK11.3 billion ($1.2 billion) for the quarter including a SEK7.6 billion capital gain from the sale of number portability and data exchange services subsidiary Iconectiv, which completed in August 2025. In Q3 2024 it made a profit of SEK3.9 billion.

Ericsson’s net sales dropped 9 per cent year-on-year to SEK56.2 billion with Network sales declining 11 per cent and Enterprise sales down 20 per cent, though the latter was impacted by the loss of Iconectiv.

In its Networks division, the vendor noted growth in EMEA and north east Asia was offset by declines elsewhere. It also pointed to “weak” sales in India as “customer network investments remained low”.

Its Cloud Software and Services unit booked a 3 per cent increase in sales. Positive performance in this division was attributed by the company’s CEO Borje Ekholm (pictured) to growth in core networks.

Ericsson’s top line was also hit by a SEK4.2 billion year-on-year currency impact.

Ekholm added “looking ahead, we expect Enterprise organic sales to stabilise in Q4 and the RAN market to remain broadly stable”.

“Solid recurring cash flow and the Iconectiv sale contributed to a strong Q3 cash position, offering scope for increased shareholder distributions.”

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The five-year deal also includes terms to maintain Ericsson’s major vendor status for Vodafone’s operations in Germany, Romania and Egypt.

Vodafone stated the modernisation of its RAN infrastructure and management will lay the foundation for widespread deployment of standalone 5G, as well deploying Ericsson’s open RAN compatible Massive MIMO radios and RAN compute solutions. The vendor will also use 5G-Advanced RAN software capabilities across networks in the markets.

The pan-European deal further introduces Ericsson Intelligent Automation Platform and a number of AI-powered rApps, which will be deployed market-by-market to deliver automated RAN optimisation, energy efficiency and multi-vendor network management capabilities.

Germany will be the first to benefit from rApps and multi-vendor RAN management, with work beginning at the end of 2025.

Deal spree
As well as modernising network infrastructure with the latest equipment and 5G-Advanced capabilities, Alberto Ripepi, chief network officer at Vodafone said the partnership with Ericsson would lay the groundwork to capitalise on the emerging market for network APIs through venture Aduna.

“This powerful combination will allow us to expose our network capabilities to developers, spurring a wave of innovation in applications and services,” he said.

Vodafone’s deal with Ericsson follows an open RAN partnership with Samsung covering multiple European countries, announced earlier this month.

VodafoneThree also handed a large network upgrade contract to Ericsson and Nokia last month, with the Swedish vendor claiming the bulk of the deal.

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Announced at conference GITEX Global in Dubai, the deal comprises various applications including unified data management (UDM), IP multimedia subsystem, user data consolidation and secure entitlement server.

The vendor noted the infrastructure runs on a combination of its platform and e&’s own cloud, adding it provided the means for the operator to use “cutting-edge 5G capabilities while ensuring robust platform stability through automation, continuous software updates and optimisations”.

e& UAE SVP core network and platforms Khaled Al Suwaidi said the upgrade is “about making everyday connectivity simpler, faster and more dependable for everyone in the UAE”.

“It lets us launch new services sooner, reduce delays and improve call quality. It also strengthens how we support businesses, from smart industry to public services, with secure and reliable connectivity.”

President of Ericsson Gulf at the vendor’s MEA division Petra Schirren added it is “enabling the secure, high-performance connectivity needed to power innovation across industries and accelerate new 5G use cases”.

The deal is the latest in a longstanding relationship between the pair and, Ericsson noted, builds directly on an UDM contract signed in 2020.

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Andres Vicente, Ericsson’ head of Southeast Asia, Oceania and India (pictured), told the newspaper the country has “a lifetime opportunity” to become an alternative production hub, which can make all the required components.

He explained to develop sophisticated products, it still imports many components. “We need to change that by investing in a holistic way, not only in anchor brands like Ericsson, but also in the ecosystem of components, filters, batteries and many other things.”

The Sweden-based company currently manufactures a range of 4G and 5G equipment in India.

Vicente said Ericsson plans to initiate 6G trials next year.

In a release related to India Mobile Congress 2025, he added “India is on a remarkable growth trajectory” and the local innovation ecosystem can “fully leverage the potential of the 5G platform and innovate not only for India but for the world”.

Its India operations continue to serve as a strategic global innovation hub, with three R&D centres focused on advanced areas such as AI, 6G and chip design, the statement noted.

It recently expanded its ASIC R&D in Bengaluru and launched production of passive antennas in India in collaboration with VVDN Technologies.

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Discussing the progress of the Ericsson-led initiative, which counts 12 operators among its founders, Arbitter positioned APIs as a chance for operators to get some “money back” from network infrastructure investments.

“It’s not a big deal to expose APIs,” he said. “This capability will not cost you millions of dollars and it is fairly easy”.

He urged operators to “adopt standards” and tried to persuade those which sought to differentiate their services by adopting alternate strategies to their rivals in the past to now take the more common approach around APIs.

“This is not about competition amongst each other. Competition has already happened and is defined by your market share,” Arbitter said, reiterating standards are the most effective way to take advantage of the immediate opportunity.

Along with an anticipation of increased support from operators, the executive also expects a high conversion rate from the “something like” 80 potential customers it is currently engaged with.

The executive said it is chasing a market opportunity conservatively estimated at between $7 billion and $10 billion by 2030, and does not expect Aduna to “be the dominant player, but a quite relevant player in that market”.

Aduna was unveiled by Ericsson and operators including Telefonica, Vodafone Group, Deutsche Telekom and AT&T in 2024, with the operators completing their acquisition of stakes in the business earlier this year.

The announcement came at a time when the use of common operator APIs was gathering momentum as a hot industry topic, with the GSMA launching its Open Gateway API initiative at MWC Barcelona 2023.

Since launch, Aduna has signed-up a number of partners in markets across the globe and is poised to expand its reach, with the company set to launch in India as one of its next markets.  

The post Aduna confident on operator recruitment drive appeared first on Mobile World Live.

Announced alongside moves with AT&T and T-Mobile US, its agreement with Telstra is for a broad collaboration designed to solve some of the issues related to autonomous networks.

The pair will explore component challenges to adoption including: problems related to siloed and fragmented data; gaps between intent and execution; complexity brought about by multi-vendor environments; and trustworthiness of AI models.

Work will cover experimentation and design in a lab alongside the creation of proof points to demonstrate and validate proposed solutions. The two also plan to team with other partners to “ensure interoperability and drive broad adoption of the solutions”.

Telstra chief architect Mark Sanders said the pact “provides the momentum and focus the global telecom industry needs to advance towards intent-driven autonomy”.

“Developing and validating ideas and technical possibilities in real environments is essential to closing the gap between aspiration and execution. Addressing the foundations will be critical to shaping the industry and influencing standards.”

Ericsson head of solution area business and operations support systems Mats Karlsson added the duo’s project would be “pivotal in defining and shaping industry-leading pathways, elements and use-cases for autonomous networks, setting a strong precedent for openness and collaboration”.

US deals
Ericsson’s announcement with AT&T was for the launch of a cloud-based IoT marketplace developed by the pair, which is intended to smooth the sale, contracting, provisioning and billing for services.

The eCommerce platform includes a digital catalogue, order management system and API integration and has been shaped for the needs of specific industries including transportation, manufacturing and healthcare.

Ericsson noted the marketplace addressed “key challenges faced by customers and partners in the IoT sector, such as complex integrations, fragmented product catalogues, inconsistent order management systems, and the variety of devices and technologies”.

The vendor’s deal with T-Mobile US will see the operator use the vendor’s charging platform for its next generation BSS, which is promoted as redefining “how services are delivered, personalised and monetised”.

Ericsson indicated on-demand charging and “seamless aggregation across B2C, B2B and B2B2X segments” the platform provided the means for fresh revenue streams and new business models for its customer.

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The Swedish vendor’s private 5G kit is already being used in an Airbus factory in Hamburg, Germany, with an installation in Toulouse, France scheduled for completion in 2026.

Use of the infrastructure is expected to support 3D simulation, augmented reality, improved traceability for parts and predictive maintenance.

The deployments form part of a wider digital drive by the aeronautics and space player intended to increase automation and operational efficiency at production facilities.

Ericsson noted its technology is the “backbone” of Airbus’ strategic transformation projects, supporting “high-value industrial use cases” including IoT integration, management of critical equipment, real-time quality control and collaborative robotics.

Airbus 5G expert Hakim Achouri said the company’s objective is to “migrate all our industrial networks towards 5G to ensure unified, ultra-reliable connectivity from the operator’s workstation to the aircraft cabin”.

“The standardisation and scalability made possible by this architecture allow us to replicate the solution easily across further sites in Europe and worldwide.” 

Alongside working together on private 5G, the pair are partnering on various other R&D projects including connected cabins, 6G and non-terrestrial networks.  

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The Australian operator is under pressure after the latest network failure, which came a few days after a major issue left users unable to call emergency services.

In a statement issued yesterday (30 September), Optus explained it and Ericsson are collaborating to establish what went wrong, with the vendor finding a unique anomaly after commencing a review.

The operator stated Ericsson equipment in the tower “did not appear to operate as it should”, showing as active but failing to transfer calls to other networks.

Early indications are Optus’ 5G service was not affected, with its 4G offer bearing the brunt of the problems. It explained the latest technology is not used for voice services.

Ericsson’s equipment “did not alarm that 4G services were not operational”, Optus explained. The vendor’s global product development team is analysing the anomaly found.

Optus emphasised the tower is now fully operational and the incident “was not caused by any upgrade or maintenance activity”, a reference to the root of its previous outage.

Ericsson told Mobile World Live the problem was restricted to a single mobile tower and it is taking the issue seriously, with its Australian and global staff giving the matter their “full attention”, working with Optus to investigate the cause.

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Solomzi Mnyaka, the operator’s general manager of Network Services Engineering and L2 Support (pictured, front, left of centre), said it advanced its goal to build an up-to-date network capable of meeting customer needs which is adaptable for future developments.

MTN deployed Ericsson’s cloud-native policy controller and packet core gateway, providing it with a dual-mode 5G set up Mnyaka said hastens its responsiveness and ability to deploy fresh services.

Ericsson stated MTN is the first operator in Africa to employ its Cloud Core Policy Controller (CCPC) in a policy and charging rules function (PCRF) configuration.

The approach provides the ability to put real-time dynamic policies into action, initially on non-standalone 5G but with compatibility for a future SA edition.

MTN deployed the vendor’s cloud-native packet core and user management functions during the opening half of the year as part of a broader network modernisation deal its parent company agreed with Ericsson in early 2024.

Ericsson stated the work is already paying off, delivering a world first In-Service Software Upgrade (ISSU) on its Packet Core Gateway node with a collocated firewall without interrupting the 2.5 million users active on the network at the time.

A Container-as-a-Service Rolling Upgrade on a relevant platform was also handled while 2 million active sessions were taking place. Ericsson branded the deployment as a “key milestone” in MTN’s automation journey.

Sandile Dhlomo, head of Ericsson South Africa (pictured, front, right of centre), said it provided MTN with a “more flexible and automated policy framework that supports monetisation, network evolution and enriched user experiences”.

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In a statement, VodafoneThree explained it had selected partners to deliver one of the UK’s largest privately funded infrastructure projects, with deals totalling more than £2 billion, as part of a wider £11 billion network investment plan.

It said Ericsson and Nokia made up the majority, but not the entirety of VodafoneThree’s network build, “which will culminate in a greater number of sites”.

In response to the news, rival vendor Samsung Networks told Mobile World Live it respected VodafoneThree’s decision to “consolidate their existing vendor relationships”.

A spokesperson added that despite missing out in the UK, it will be named as a “major” vendor in Vodafone’s Spring 6 tender, when the operator names partners for a network infrastructure upgrade covering 15 countries across Europe and Africa “sometime in October”.

“This development allows us to support Vodafone’s Open RAN deployment at scale across Europe,” added Samsung.

Majority and Significant
Ericsson released its own announcement stating it would power “the majority of VodafoneThree’s next-generation UK network,” in an SEK12.5 billion deal (£1 billion).

As part of an eight-year agreement, Ericsson will be tasked with supplying its entire core network, as well as radio system products and software solutions to power a significant majority of the operator’s enhanced radio network.

Ericsson added it had secured a primary vendor partnership status, allowing it to deploy 5G standalone network hardware and its technology would exclusively cover four UK capitals: London, Edinburgh, Cardiff and Belfast.

Nokia meanwhile described its share of the award as “significant”, in a move which marks its return as a supplier for Vodafone and Three in the UK.

The Finnish vendor also secured an eight-year deal, supplying equipment from its RAN portfolio to approximately 7,000 sites in the UK and modernise a part of VodafoneThree’s voice core.

VodafoneThree CEO Max Taylor said the company is making good on a promise to “deliver at pace” just a few months into its merger, completed in June.

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The office features advanced technologies and aims to strengthen partnerships across government, enterprises and academia to foster innovation and sustainable growth.

As part of the Hanoi grand opening, the vendor is demonstrating applications such as holographic communication, AI-enabled XR smart glasses, uplink carrier aggregation for streaming, immersive sports fan engagement, and 5G-enabled robotics for industrial safety and emergency response.

The office is 5G-enabled with the vendor’s enterprise virtual cellular network, which enables enterprises to manage and control 5G connectivity for mobile devices such as 5G laptops or to IT applications in the office instead of using Wi-Fi.   

The vendor stated it continues to invest in Vietnam’s innovation ecosystem through initiatives like Ericsson Educate with PTIT, AI Lab with RMIT, and collaborations with the University of Transport and Communications, aligning with government priorities on R&D, talent and legal reforms. 

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The deployment in its 307,000sqft facility in Hagerstown, Maryland, and is expected to support a variety of use cases around optimising production and cutting defects.

Examples given by GlobalLogic, which is a Hitachi Group company, include: use of robot dogs to detect defects; digital twins to optimise rail carriages before production; predictive maintenance; and use of automated vehicles to move materials safely across the factory floor.

“With ultra-low latency and high bandwidth at its core, the 5G private network enables real-time execution of critical processes, driving significant gains in efficiency, precision, and worker safety” the company added.

Hitachi Rail president of North America Joe Pozza stated the facility is “more than just a train manufacturing site – it is a blueprint for the future of rail production worldwide, harnessing the latest AI, robotics, and digital systems to deliver high-quality, smart, and reliable manufacturing”.

“Private 5G connectivity is a game-changer for advanced manufacturing environments. This secure, high-performance connectivity allows us to automate more processes, protect our workforce, and accelerate innovation.”

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Under the agreement, Ericsson will deploy its cloud native dual-mode 5G core product, providing the means for the Austrian operator to run 4G and 5G services on a unified platform.

The vendor noted the system allows greater automation through AI-powered operations, enhancing operational efficiency and scalability while reducing time-to-market for new services.

Ericsson added the upgrade would support fresh use cases including network slicing and massive IoT connectivity, alongside improving consumer experiences for streaming, gaming and remote work applications.

Within industry, the manufacturing, healthcare and logistics sectors were cited as being expected to benefit from enhanced connectivity options, with future applications extending to connected vehicles and smart city deployments.

“We’re working together to build a platform that supports new services and drives Austria’s digital future,” noted Alexander Sysoev, country manager at Ericsson Austria.

Rico Chemnitz, senior head of core network and infrastructure at Drei Austria, described the deal as “another puzzle stone” in the operator’s modernisation strategy, aimed at improving service agility, boosting automation and enabling new business opportunities.

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The second phase of the Connect to Learn: Teaching with Technology programme expands on progress made since the scheme launched in 2022. Ericsson stated the plan is to broaden the reach to additional high school teachers and trainees to bridge gaps in their ICT education.

Ericsson highlighted a GSMA report published in 2024 about learning in the Philippines, which found capacity building and training for teachers were wanting, presenting a barrier to “adoption of technology in education”.

The programme is also backed by the nation’s Department of Education’s Muntinlupa City division and the Philippine Normal University (PNU).

More than 1,700 trainee and qualified teachers have gone through the training so far.

The programme employs e-learning modules and immersive simulations using VR. Ericsson explained compatible headsets have been provided to the Department of Education and PNU, with Smart Communications handling connectivity through pocket and home Wi-Fi units, and prepaid cards.

Ericsson country manager Arda Cetiner said the scheme contributes to the government’s “digital skills and socio-economic transformation agenda and will ultimately lead to better learning outcomes and enhanced digital capabilities for teachers and students”.

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In a report set to be foundational to Ericsson’s contribution to a forthcoming US technology conference, the executive and analyst identify sectors including public safety, automotive, ports, mining, healthcare, and sports and entertainment as ripe for a 5G boost in the coming years.

The duo emphasised a potentially intense period ahead for enterprise digitalisation using 5G, driven by technologies spanning AI, cloud, and standalone and advanced variants.

Ekudden and Sharma made the case for governments, regulators and service providers to capitalise on the potential by backing the technology, warning there are still many factors which could impact on its promise.

They identified spectrum allocations, mid-band population coverage, adoption of standalone 5G and network maturity as challenges.

Some of these elements are included in an index Ericsson produced highlighting the maturity of mobile infrastructure, with the list rounded out by differentiated connectivity, networks and industries, and software.

The report was released today (28 August) and is available for download on Ericsson’s website.

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Medlicott held the role since June 2019, the same time she joined Ericsson’s executive team.

She joined the company in 2014 and worked as VP marketing communications and government and industry relations within its Europe and Latin America unit.

In a short statement, CEO Borje Ekholm said the departing executive had driven the perception of Ericsson as a global technology leader and played a critical role in navigating significant change and evolving business strategy.

“She has built an industry leading team and transformed the company’s approach to managing geopolitics, sustainability, and health and safety,” Ekholm said.

Medlicott said she decided to leave the company “to pursue other opportunities”.

She pointed to working through “extraordinary times”, adding the company would continue to show technology leadership to drive the next era of global innovation.

A transition plan is underway, Ericsson stated.

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