Singtel partners Ericsson to accelerate industry transformation with 5G Advanced

Singtel has announced a strategic collaboration with Ericsson to accelerate the evolution of 5G Advanced into a programmable, AI-powered digital platform designed to power enterprise transformation, strengthen Singapore’s digital economy, and future-proof the nation’s network infrastructure for the next decade.

As artificial intelligence, immersive technologies, intelligent mobility and massive IoT ecosystems scale rapidly, connectivity must evolve beyond best-effort infrastructure into differentiated services that deliver measurable business outcomes. This latest partnership between Singtel and Ericsson will leverage 5G Advanced for greater performance differentiation and operational excellence, as well as enable Singapore to continue to lead globally in mobile connectivity.

Mr Ng Tian Chong, Chief Executive Officer, Singtel Singapore, said: “We see 5G Advanced not as a network upgrade, but as a foundational platform for Singapore’s AI-powered future. By embedding intelligence, programmability and service differentiation into our network, we are enabling enterprises to innovate with confidence and compete globally. We will prioritise lighthouse programmes that demonstrate measurable ecosystem traction and impact. This collaboration with Ericsson reinforces our commitment to pioneering innovation, empowering enterprises, and shaping the next chapter of connectivity in an increasingly AI-driven world.”

Mr Daniel Ode, Ericsson’s Head of Singapore, Philippines, and Brunei and Global Customer Unit Singtel said: “As AI adoption accelerates amongst enterprises and public sector agencies, the demand for end-to-end 5G Advanced network capabilities and programmable network APIs will continue to grow. We are pleased to partner with Singtel to drive further innovation across network slicing and differentiated connectivity, as well as to efficiently scale and capture new growth opportunities together.”

Enhancing network performance and customer experience

Singtel will accelerate the commercial deployment of end-to-end network slicing with enforceable service level agreements (SLAs), enabling enterprises to access premium, quality-assured connectivity tailored to AI workloads, AR/VR/XR applications, smart mobility services and large scale IoT ecosystems.

The initiative includes:

• AI-in-RAN capabilities to enhance customer experience and network performance

• Programmable network features exposed via commercial APIs

• Premium service tiers designed for enterprise, automotive, public sector and digital-native customers

With a phased roadmap through 2026, 2028 and 2030, Singtel aims to unlock scalable, recurring revenue streams while giving businesses the confidence to innovate on a future-ready infrastructure.

Advancing AI-Native network operations

In addition, Singtel and Ericsson will drive AI-enabled automation across core and radio access networks as they progress toward Level 4 network autonomy, as defined by the TM Forum. This approach enables closed-loop optimisation to improve reliability and performance, while strengthening cybersecurity and resilience. Improved spectrum and capacity efficiency will also help meet growing data demand, while reducing complexity and operating costs. Embedding intelligence into operations will also reinforce service assurance and long-term cost competitiveness, positioning Singtel for sustained innovation and growth.

Enabling Emerging 3GPP-Enhanced Services

The collaboration will also pursue lighthouse programmes that demonstrate measurableecosystem impact. Examples include immersive AR/VR/XR applications powered by edge-enabled architectures that deliver guaranteed performance, and other use cases to enable ultra-low-power device ecosystems across logistics, utilities, retail, automotive and smart cities These initiatives are intended to accelerate adoption, unlock new use cases and create clear pathways to commercialisation.

Paving the way for next-generation networks

To build on these advances, Singtel and Ericsson will explore forward-looking capabilities that shape the evolution toward next-generation networks. Work will include Integrated Sensing and Communication to enable sensing-enabled infrastructure services, uplink enhancements and uplink/downlink decoupling to address AI-driven traffic demands, and architectural evolution to improve robustness, resilience and spectrum utilisation.

By co-developing these technologies, the partners aim to accelerate commercialisation of new services, strengthen network performance and efficiency, and provide a future-ready foundation that allows businesses, public services and consumers to confidently adopt the next wave of connected experiences across Singapore and beyond.