Telstra and Ericsson recently signed a letter of intent to collaborate on 6G research and trials. This news comes as the duo look to accelerate the development of next-generation mobile technology with a specific focus on AI-native architecture.
As part of the deal, the pair cited a focus on standards development, including work tied to 3GPP evolution and access to Ericsson’s 6G testbed facilities in Sweden.
Telstra engineers will test emerging 6G technologies at Ericsson’s Swedish research site while the vendor’s teams will work from Telstra’s Innovation Centre on Australia’s Gold Coast to assess 6G performance across different geographic environments.
The collaboration supports the operator’s Connected Future 30 strategy, which centres on long-term network development and supporting an AI-driven future “to keep Australia at the forefront of digital innovation”.
According to Telstra Group executive of global networks and technology, Shailin Sehgal, the deal aims to “build the technology momentum that will underpin 6G”. He described the next-generation network as “the first G which is AI-native”, adding it “will be the most intelligent network yet”.
He also pointed to future capabilities including environmental sensing and Network as a Product applications, with potential use cases spanning public safety, agriculture and weather detection.
Meanwhile, Ericsson CTO Erik Ekudden noted the sector is moving from “AI-powered 5G and autonomous networks, towards AI-native 6G”, adding it would “redefine what a network fundamentally is” by being able to “sense, adapt and orchestrate resources”.
The partners also stressed that unlocking the benefits of 6G will require continued investment and wider certainty around spectrum access.
The latest agreement builds on a longstanding partnership between the pair, who have previously worked together on 5G deployments in Australia.
Source: Mobile World Live
Image Credit: Stock Image
