Telstra and its long-term network partner Ericsson have signed an agreement to begin work on developing 6G as part of Telstra’s commitment to advance Australian digital innovation.
The letter of intent outlines Telstra and Ericsson’s promise to progress joint work and 6G research to bring the nation closer to the launch of next frontier of cellular communication and connectivity – 6G.
Telstra and Ericsson will collaborate on 6G research including 3GPP standards evolution while accessing Ericsson’s 6G testbed capabilities.
Ericsson has also invited Telstra to test new technologies and concepts at its 6G testing facilities in Sweden.
Ericsson engineers will also be spending time at Telstra’s Innovation Centre on the Gold Coast to see how 6G operates in different geographic conditions.
6G won’t be just about speed – although it will be clearly much faster than 5G – but it will also enable city-wide smart connectivity, precise localisation to 1cm accuracy and provide autonomous mobility for networked self-driving vehicles, autonomous drones and delivery bots.
“Our letter of intent with Ericsson demonstrates how we’re delivering on our Connected Future 30 strategy by continuing to build the technology momentum that will underpin 6G,” says Shailin Sehgal, Telstra Group Executive of Global Networks & Technology.
“Mobile connectivity has been one of the most powerful economic engines of modern Australia.
“As the first G which is AI-native, 6G will be the most intelligent network yet – capable of advanced network connectivity, and new Network as a Product innovations such as the ability to sense the environment around the network.
“The latter opens the potential for new use cases for public safety, agriculture, weather detection and more.
“Our focus is making sure Australia remains at the forefront of digital innovation, with connectivity that helps people, businesses and communities thrive.”
Erik Ekudden, Ericsson Chief Technology Officer, says: “We are on a clear and exciting trajectory – from 5G Standalone today, to AI-powered 5G and autonomous networks, towards AI-native 6G that is meeting the evolving and future business needs.
“6G will redefine what a network fundamentally is – not just an AI-native technology platform, but a platform that senses, adapts and orchestrates resources to deliver outcomes for enterprises and society at scale; simply an intelligent fabric.
“Realising that potential requires the kind of early, deliberate collaboration we are building together.
“Australia is a market at the forefront of network innovation where the combination of operator ambition, technical depth and innovation culture makes this genuinely meaningful.
“Our work with Telstra – spanning research, standards and real- world testing – paves the way for the next era of advanced connectivity.”
