Ericsson partners with leading technology institutions in Singapore and Sweden on 6G

The multi-year research and innovation initiative will examine how AI and 6G can catalyze safe, secure and reliable autonomous systems to perform better than current alternatives in complex indoor and outdoor environments, including non-line-of-sight use.

Healthcare, airport, port, manufacturing, logistics, smart city, and mission critical communications such as emergency response services are some of the sectors that could benefit from secure, reliable, and trustworthy positioning capabilities to support robots, drones and other autonomous and physical AI systems.

Called ‘Trustworthy 6G Positioning in Complex Environments: A Data-Driven Approach’, the research initiative will combine established positioning methods with AI and automated antenna calibration.

In addition to coordinating the project, which gets underway in November 2026, Ericsson will contribute commercial and research mobile-positioning technology, test environments, network expertise and standardization insights.

KTH will lead AI and algorithm development, while NTU Singapore, through its Centre for Advanced Robotics Technology Innovation, will contribute expertise in robotics, sensor fusion, localization and machine learning.

Professor Karl H Johansson, Director of Digital Future, Division of Decision and Control Systems, KTH, says: “Future autonomous systems will need positioning that is not only accurate, but also reliable and trustworthy when conditions are challenging. This project allows us to bring together complementary expertise from KTH and NTU and test new AI-based positioning methods in real-world 5G/6G environments in Sweden and Singapore. Beyond the technology itself, we see great value in building a long-term research bridge between our two countries and creating new opportunities for collaboration in 6G, robotics and autonomous systems.”

Professor Shirley Meng, Vice President (Industry), NTU Singapore, said: “Research delivers its greatest value when it moves beyond the laboratory to address real-world challenges. As we look towards the next generation of wireless connectivity, close collaboration between universities and industry will be essential to turning advances in 6G technology into solutions that can be deployed at scale. This initiative brings together NTU’s strengths in robotics and advanced sensing, KTH’s expertise in AI and algorithm development, and Ericsson’s leadership in mobile networks. By combining our complementary strengths, we can bridge the gap between research and industry needs, accelerate the development of practical 6G applications, and open up new possibilities for autonomous systems across industries.”

Erik Ekudden, CTO, Ericsson says: “Accurate, reliable, and trustworthy positioning capabilities are key to the advancement of new and evolved use cases we expect to see in the 6G networks of 2030 and beyond.”

He adds: “5G is already enabling more precise positioning and increasingly automated operations. As we evolve from 5G toward 6G, advances in AI, sensing and mobile connectivity will make positioning even more accurate, secure, reliable, and trustworthy helping drones, robots and other autonomous and physical AI systems operate safely in complex environments. By bringing together Ericsson’s technology and standardization expertise with world-class research from KTH and NTU, this collaboration will help turn that potential into capabilities with real-world business and societal impact.”

The announcement was made during a Singapore State visit to Sweden, which included the two governments signing a trusted-technology-focused joint declaration at Ericsson’s headquarters in Stockholm.

The King of Sweden, His Majesty King Carl XVI Gustaf, and Singapore President, Tharman Shanmugaratnam, were among the guests at the joint declaration signing ceremony. The visit was hosted by Ericsson President and CEO, Per Narvinger.

The Ericsson-KTH-NTU research also aims to strengthen Sweden-Singapore collaboration, while informing the 3GPP 6G standardization process. The initiative is supported by Sweden’s innovation agency Vinnova.

Note: photo AI modifiied to increase sharpness.

FOLLOW US:
Subscribe to Ericsson press releases
Subscribe to Ericsson blog posts

https://x.com/ericsson
https://www.facebook.com/ericsson      https://www.linkedin.com/company/ericsson

MORE INFORMATION AT:
Ericsson Newsroom
media.relations@ericsson.com  (+46 10 719 69 92)

ABOUT ERICSSON:
Ericsson’s high-performing, programmable networks provide connectivity for billions of people every day. For 150 years, we have been pioneers in creating technology for communication. We offer mobile communication and connectivity solutions for service providers and enterprises. Together with our customers and partners, we make the digital world of tomorrow a reality. www.ericsson.com