Telstra and Ericsson have signed a letter of intent to collaborate on 6G research.
The agreement covers 6G research, standards development and real-world testing, with engineers and staff visiting each other9;s test and innovation sites.
6G research scope and cross-site testing
The collaboration spans research, standards development and real-world testing of 6G technology. It also includes mutual site visitations between the companies.
As part of the arrangement, Telstra engineers will visit Ericsson9;s testbed in Sweden, while Ericsson staff will travel to Telstra9;s Innovation Centre on the Gold Coast.
AI as the centrepiece of TelstraEricsson9s 6G work
Telstra and Ericsson emphasized the role of AI in making 6G networks more intelligent and more customisable for customers.
Telstra9s Connected Future 30 strategy is positioned as enabling customers to purchase configurable connectivity services at individual prices. Shailin Sehgal, Telstra Group Executive of Global Networks & Technology, said mobile connectivity has been one of the most powerful economic engines of modern Australia.
In his comments, Shailin Sehgal linked 6G9s direction to an 1AI-native2 framing and argued it will be the most intelligent network yet, with advanced network connectivity. He also said network-as-a-product innovations will include the ability to sense the environment around the network, which he said could open potential new use cases for public safety, agriculture and weather detection.
From 5G Standalone to AI-native 6G: Ericsson9s framing
Erik Ekudden, Ericsson Chief Technology Officer, described a trajectory from 5G Standalone to AI-powered 5G and autonomous networks, towards AI-native 6G. He said 6G will redefine what a network fundamentally is, and that it should provide a platform that senses, adapts and orchestrates resources to deliver outcomes for enterprises and society at scale.
Earlier TelstraEricsson agreements in the early days of the 5G era were often based around delivering greater speeds. Ericsson and Telstra9s focus has increasingly shifted away from pure speeds toward AI integration and network optimisation, and the initial joint research on 6G is expected to follow that same path.