Swisscom and Ericsson advance autonomous network transformation with Ericsson’s Intelligent Automation Platform and rApps

At MWC 2026, in Barcelona, Swisscom and Ericsson will showcase their advanced collaboration, powered by the Ericsson Intelligent Automation Platform (EIAP) and its innovative AI-powered rApps, to create the future of autonomous networks and AI-powered automation in Switzerland. The automation collaboration harnesses AI, rApps and machine learning models to deliver intelligent, predictive automation across multi-technology environments.

The partners will share the progress made to date as they advance towards rApps being fully integrated into the commercial network, a process that has seen Ericsson and Swisscom work symbiotically from early stages of prototyping the rApps to the near final stage we have reached today. The collaboration initially is focused on three Ericsson rApps: Cell Anomaly Detector, Uplink Anomaly Detector and Anomaly Root Cause Explainer. In the project’s second phase, the RET Cell Shaper rApp will be deployed.

This latest step in the long-standing partnership between Ericsson and Swisscom underscores their commitment to innovation. It aims to transform both operational and user experience through unlocking greater efficiency, resilience, and flexibility by exploring the full potential of AI and automation. The fusion of EIAP’s intelligent automation capabilities with Ericsson AI rApps empowers Swisscom to achieve higher levels of autonomy in network management and deliver seamless, high-quality connectivity for its customers.

This joint work is part of the agreement that saw Ericsson selected as a key partner by Swisscom to future-proof its network. The collaboration to advance autonomy with data-driven intelligence, shows Swisscom’s clear commitment to providing the Best Mobile Network in Switzerland. The commitment is also evident in the collaboration between Swisscom and Ericsson to exploit the potential of rApps and automation in a range of network and operational areas to maximize operational efficiency and improve network performance.

Philipp Bichsel, Executive Vice President Mobile Network & Services at Swisscom, says: “Swisscom has retained the title as the country’s best-performing mobile network over many years by truly prioritizing the delivery of the best possible customer experience. This has meant embarking on a journey to fully exploit automation to enhance reliability and efficiency without compromising the service quality our customers expect. As we advance towards self-learning, autonomous networks, enabling Swisscom to build smarter and more adaptive network operations, we are leveraging the SMO framework as the foundation for this evolution. Within this framework, partner solutions such as Ericsson’s Intelligent Automation Platform and its ecosystem of rApps play an important role in helping us explore the potential of AI driven automation.”

Kenneth Ong, Country Manager Ericsson Switzerland says: “Swisscom has long been noted as a pioneer in delivering the best possible experience to its customers and using its network to create innovative services. It is also well known for its focus on constantly seeking efficiencies in how it operates. Through the Ericsson Intelligent Automation Platform, Swisscom has plans to strengthen its position in all three areas of autonomous network development, and we are proud to contribute to this transformation.”

Ericsson rApps provide Swisscom with powerful, AI-driven automation across its 4G and 5G radio access network. Designed to operate across the full network lifecycle, the rApps enable intelligent monitoring, analysis, and optimization, helping Swisscom increase operational efficiency while accelerating the delivery of new services and capabilities.

This expanded rApp-driven automation capability supports Swisscom’s progress toward its long-term vision of autonomous networks. The benefits are already evident in real-world scenarios taking place in other countries, where the network successfully supported events with thousands of users simultaneously uploading videos and images, ensured smooth digital payment transactions, and maintained consistently high-quality connectivity throughout.

The EIAP is Ericsson’s open platform for the management and automation of open, multi-vendor and multi-technology networks, supporting all 4G and 5G RAN. It includes the Ericsson Intelligent Controller (EIC) as a non-Real Time RAN Intelligent Controller (RIC), and an open SDK that allows CSPs and third parties to deploy rApps supporting automation across the entire network lifecycle. It supports an ecosystem of nearly 90 members (including Swisscom and 19 other communications service providers) and has nearly 90 rApps available, with 25 of those coming from Ericsson.

rApps and EIC, when operated alongside Swisscom’s advanced data lake, will now become a crucial part in its progress towards achieving Level 4 autonomy, as defined by the TM Forum, in certain operational processes – a level of automation where the system enables decision-making based on predictive analysis or active closed-loop management via AI modeling and continuous learning.

The collaboration can be seen at Ericsson’s booth in Hall 2 at the Fira Gran Via during MWC 2026.