Singtel, Ericsson to evolve 5G advanced into AI-powered platform

Singtel announced a strategic collaboration with Ericsson to accelerate the evolution of 5G Advanced into a programmable, AI-powered platform to strengthen Singapore’s digital economy and future-proof its network infrastructure.

The partners said the collaboration will accelerate commercial rollouts of end-to-end network slicing with enforceable SLAs, commercial APIs, AI-in-RAN features, and premium service tiers for enterprises, automotive, public sector, and digital-native customers.

They outlined a phased roadmap through 2026, 2028 and 2030, pursuing lighthouse programmes like edge-enabled architectures for AR/VR/XR, ultra-low-power IoT ecosystems, and AI-driven automation toward Level 4 network autonomy (TM Forum).

The collaboration will explore Integrated Sensing and Communication, uplink enhancements, uplink/downlink decoupling, and architectural changes to improve robustness, resilience, and spectrum utilization.

Singtel said the initiative aims to accelerate commercialization of new services, strengthen network performance and efficiency, and support businesses, public services and consumers across Singapore and beyond.

🔗 Source: Singtel

🧠 Food for thought

Implications, context, and why it matters.

Singtel’s AI-powered future is built on a present reality

The plan looks ahead, yet it rests on work Singtel started years earlier.
Singtel finished its nationwide 5G Standalone (SA) network in 2022, which unlocked the features now moving faster 1.
In 2022, Singtel ran 5G SA network slicing at the Singapore Grand Prix, keeping HD streams steady for 302,000 attendees 2.
The partnership speeds up services already on the market, including app-based network slicing for enterprises, generally available in October 2024, plus a Security-as-a-Slice (SecaaS) offer built with Palo Alto Networks 3.

A new business model for connectivity puts pressure on the entire set of tools

The effort offers a path for telecom companies to earn more than what basic data plans and speed can bring.
Singtel’s CEO describes the approach as competing on customer outcomes in a crowded market, using network slicing to tailor service for premium users 4.
It also hands more control to businesses, so enterprise IT teams can use Mobile Device Management (MDM) tools to tune bandwidth for work apps on staff phones 3.
Success requires changes across the ecosystem, since Samsung device teams and Microsoft operating system groups are adding network slicing or enterprise 5G management to flagship products 5.