Ericsson won a four-year agreement with Telstra to deploy the first programmable 5G Advanced network in the Asia-Pacific region. The initiative will upgrade Telstra’s radio access network (RAN) with Ericsson’s Open RAN-ready hardware and 5G Advanced software, integrating AI and automation for self-detection and self-healing capabilities.
This transformation will enable Telstra to provide tailored connectivity experiences, new performance-based offerings, and innovative application development through network APIs. The network upgrade will also double 5G capacity, improve coverage and speed, and optimize spectrum efficiency while reducing energy consumption.
- Asia-Pacific’s first programmable 5G network – Unlocking new capabilities for consumer and enterprise users.
- Open RAN-ready infrastructure – Future-proofing Telstra’s network with enhanced flexibility.
- AI-powered automation – Self-optimizing and self-healing capabilities for better reliability.
- Integration with Aduna – Supporting the global network API initiative to drive digital innovation.
- Industry 4.0 enablement – Providing high-performance connectivity for AI/ML applications, IoT, and automation.
“Through our partnership with Ericsson, we will evolve our offering and improve the efficiency of how we use our spectrum so we can increase our 5G network capacity to deliver better consistency of performance, reliability, and speed to millions of customers,” said Vicki Brady, CEO of Telstra.
- Aduna is a landmark venture established in September 2024 by Ericsson and several of the world’s leading telecom operators, including América Móvil, AT&T, Bharti Airtel, Deutsche Telekom, Orange, Reliance Jio, Singtel, Telefónica, Telstra, T-Mobile, Verizon, and Vodafone. The initiative aims to accelerate the adoption and innovation of network Application Programming Interfaces (APIs) on a global scale, enabling developers to access advanced network capabilities through standardized APIs. By unifying network APIs from multiple operators into a single platform, Aduna seeks to foster collaboration, enhance user experiences, and drive industry growth. The venture is built upon the CAMARA open-source project, driven by the GSMA and the Linux Foundation, ensuring an open and non-discriminatory approach to API access. In early 2025, Anthony Bartolo was appointed as the Chief Executive Officer to lead Aduna’s mission of empowering developers and transforming digital services across various sectors.
- Ericsson and Telstra have maintained a robust partnership over the years, collaborating on numerous technological advancements to enhance Australia’s telecommunications landscape. In 2013, Telstra selected Ericsson to upgrade its national optical transport network to 100 Gbps technology, utilizing Ericsson’s SPO 1400 metro optical family and MHL3000 for long-haul applications. By 2022, this collaboration had evolved to focus on 5G Standalone (SA) services, with Telstra and Ericsson announcing a suite of automated and orchestrated 5G SA services tailored for enterprises. The partnership achieved a significant milestone in 2024 when Telstra became the first operator globally to deploy Ericsson’s 4th generation Radio Access Network (RAN) compute platform, setting the stage for 5G Advanced capabilities in Australia. Continuing their collaborative efforts, in early 2025, Telstra, Ericsson, and MediaTek reached a peak downlink speed of 9.4 Gbps on Telstra’s live commercial 5G SA network, underscoring their commitment to pushing the boundaries of mobile connectivity.