MWC25: Ericsson UK&I CEO Highlights Shift to AI-Led Networks
Ericsson presented its strategy for AI-driven network management at Mobile World Congress Barcelona 2025, emphasizing intent-driven architecture and expansion of its Global Network Platform.
The telecommunications firm has redesigned its exhibition approach to demonstrate how machine learning and neural network models can automate network configuration, moving from parameter-level management to high-level declarative statements of business requirements.
Katherine Ainley, CEO of Ericsson UK and Ireland, outlined the firm's technical approach during an interview at MWC.
“It's a really exciting year for us and we've got a slightly different looking stand,” she shares. “We've got an open area where you can come in and everyone can find out about some of the things that we're up to and look at some of the use cases.”
The company's stand at MWC showcases applications of 5G and 6G technology, with particular emphasis on programmable networks and application programming interfaces (APIs).
"Some of the key themes for us we're all about inspiring use cases for 5G and 6G," Katherine explains. "These are talking about our new global network platform partnership and how that's going to be used."
Ericsson's 'dual focus' on network performance
When discussing AI integration into telecommunications infrastructure, Ainley explains the company's two-pronged strategy: “There's two ways I always think about AI. For me, one is actually how do we improve what we do and how do we manage the networks?
“The other is about how AI is going to change the way that we use the networks.”
The company is transitioning network management from explicit parameter configuration to a model where the system autonomously determines implementation details based on high-level business requirements.
Katherine explains: “Rather than you setting hundreds, thousands of parameters and going into detail, you can set what you want the intent of the network to be and then let AI do the work to set up the network and adjust it accordingly and learn which is much quicker and easier and better.
“When we are looking to the future on how we're going to use AI, we are looking at it from a number of different angles. We are looking at how we can optimise the network performance and optimise the software and the equipment in the network so that it works at its level for AI, but also we're looking at this intent element of it.”
“We are looking at how we can optimise the network performance and optimise the software and the equipment in the network so that it works at its level for AI.”
Ericsson is also engineering networks to support distributed AI inference workloads that have specific latency, bandwidth and security requirements.
“We are looking at how to build a network where it can be set up with intent parameters, before then building the network out based around that,” she says. “We need to be ahead of the curve on how people are going to use AI and how they're going to want a super fast, secure, low latency network where they're able to exchange information up into the cloud super quickly.”
Creating a foundation for AI training
The company's Cloud Radio initiative represents a foundational component for enabling network-edge AI workloads, according to Blessing Makumbe, VP and Head of Cloud Software & Services at Ericsson UK & Ireland.
“Cloud Radio is Ericsson making sure the radios it's deploying have open interfaces, where you can replace the specific elements you want,” he says.
“At MWC, we have announced that we are rolling it out, cloud ready. We're enabling the ability for different operators to make different choices on the technology that they want to do, but making it open allows us to be able to innovate.”
“We can innovate on top of that network, but also ensure that we keep it standardised.”
Katherine adds: “I think this is a journey that we're going on. We've always been open to those open standards and that journey that we're on and you'll see more and more of how those standards and those programmable networks are here on the stand and around us.
“It will be a journey and a balance between how you can do things quickly and efficiently and effectively, but also making sure that you keep the opportunity there to then open it up to different alternatives in the future.”
This standardisation approach aims to create consistent interfaces for AI applications across network infrastructures.
“It’s about ensuring that, if we allow different players to use the interface, they are able to pull all the network attributes that are coming in to make sure they are able to be exposed,” Blessing says.
“Ericsson is ensuring its radios are cloud-ready, so operators can do as they desire and then get value out of those networks.”
What's next for Ericsson?
The company has positioned its Global Network Platform as critical infrastructure for distributed AI applications in enterprise environments.
“If I look forward to 2025, 2026 and beyond, we are looking at a few things, including how we make sure we build our ecosystem and the environment around us,” Katherine explains.
“At MWC, our partners and customers are in attendance to demonstrate how they use 5G and are building that ecosystem, which is super important both for consumer use cases and on the enterprise side.”
Ericsson's strategy encompasses computer vision for manufacturing, real-time analytics for venues, and security applications leveraging 5G networks.
Katherine adds: “We're looking at the global network platform and how we use those APIs and leverage global scale there.
“You'll also see much more about how we become more efficient and things like intent-based programming and how we use the software to really optimise the network.”
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