Ericsson announces capability for 5G Advanced location based services in Q1-2026
Ericsson’s 5G Advanced location based services (LBS) offering is a comprehensive suite of innovations designed to redefine location-based services across commercial 5G Standalone (SA) networks. Set for release in Q1 2026, it makes Ericsson the leader in 5G positioning technology, offering a scalable and fully integrated solution on top of Ericsson’s dual-mode 5G Core network.
By embedding positioning as a core 5G SA network capability, Ericsson 5G Advanced location services enables Communications Service Providers (CSPs) to monetize precise location services and expand beyond traditional mobile offerings into verticals such as manufacturing, healthcare, public safety, automotive, drones, and more.
Key benefits:
- High Accuracy: Down to sub-meter for indoor and sub-10 cm for outdoor positioning, enabling precise tracking
- Scalability: Scalable, precise positioning for outdoor applications (automotive, agriculture, drones)
- Seamless Indoor/Outdoor Coverage: Unified 5G positioning technology for both environments.
- Developer & Device Friendliness: No need for device-side apps; improved battery life compared to satellite-based solutions
- Support for Large-Scale Use Cases: Enables massive geofencing, population density analysis, and tracking use cases.
Monica Zethzon, Head of Core Networks, Ericsson, says: “With the launch of 5G Advanced Location Services we are evolving the value of 5G Standalone networks. This innovation gives CSPs the precision and scalability to create differentiated services based on location capabilities.”
Caroline Gabriel, Partner at Analysys Mason, says: “Ericsson’s integrated approach to indoor and outdoor positioning sets a new benchmark in the industry. It addresses critical pain points for operators and enterprises, particularly in sectors where location accuracy is mission-critical.”
The global market for 5G positioning is in its early stages but poised for rapid growth, driven by demand for enhanced precision in diverse sectors. Ericsson’s solution responds to this demand with scalable, developer-friendly capabilities that improve device battery life compared to legacy systems.
This launch further strengthens Ericsson’s location solutions based on Real-Time Kinematics technology, with related devices from Ericsson planned for Q1 2026.
Photo Credit: Ericsson
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- Integrated Positioning: Positioning is built into the 5G Standalone (SA) architecture, moving beyond traditional GPS reliance.
- High Accuracy & Efficiency: New techniques improve accuracy (e.g., bandwidth aggregation, carrier-phase measurements) and reduce power consumption for devices.
- AI/ML Integration: Artificial Intelligence/Machine Learning is applied to enhance positioning accuracy, especially for challenging scenarios like beyond-visual-line-of-sight (BVLOS).
- Support for New Devices/Apps: Enables precise tracking for wearables, industrial sensors (RedCap), augmented reality (AR), drone control, and smart grids.
- Beyond-Line-of-Sight (BVLOS): Focus on reliable positioning for industrial and public safety applications where line-of-sight isn’t guaranteed.
- Reduced Power: Solutions target lower power usage, crucial for IoT devices.
- Release 18 (5G Advanced Start): Finalized mid-2024, introduced major LBS enhancements, including RedCap positioning, bandwidth aggregation, and carrier-phase support.
- Release 19 (Ongoing): Continues the evolution, extending LTM (L1/L2-triggered Mobility) and further exploring AI/ML for mobility and positioning.
- Release 20 & Beyond: Will build on these foundations, further evolving towards 6G capabilities.
References:
https://www.ericsson.com/en/press-releases/2026/1/5g-advanced-location-services
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Results out today showed Ericsson’s reported sales fell 5% last year, to around 236.7 billion Swedish kronor (US$26.2 billion), although they grew 2% organically. Overall annual spending in the market for radio access network (RAN) products, where Ericsson generates most of its revenues, shrank a fifth between 2022 and 2024, to about $35 billion, according to analyst company Omdia. The lurching drops seem to be over, but no one expects much growth.
Under pressure to hit financial targets, which include an operating margin of between 15% and 18%, Ericsson has accordingly prioritized cuts. Headcount fell by 5,400 roles last year, to around 88,800, and it has plummeted by almost 17,000 since 2022. Last week, Ericsson revealed plans to axe another 1,600 jobs in Sweden and there are due to be more cuts in other parts of the world, as well. “We expect to continue reducing headcount,” said Ekholm earlier today.
Last year, R&D expenditure shrank 9%, to SEK48.9 billion ($5.4 billion). “Given the flattish market we are in, we will have to work continuously on R&D efficiency, but there is also a question of making sure we allocate to the right areas,” he said, answering questions posed by analysts on today’s call about the latest results. “We are not going to trade off technology leadership, and we believe we can have technology leadership at this spend level even into 2027 and beyond.”
The “right areas” now include mission-critical networks, the enterprise sector and defence, described as a “sizeable” opportunity by Ekholm. As nineteenth century-style empire builders become fashionable once again, NATO members have promised to increase defense spending over the next few years. Ericsson and others expect a good share of the money to flow into industry-developed comms systems, such as sensing for drone detection.
“The investment we make in defense today is captured in the total R&D spend and, as we go forward, we see that we probably need to increase that a bit,” said Ekholm. “We see that market moving from dedicated solutions, kind of proprietary technology solutions, into much more 3GPP-enabled solutions, and the reason is that it’s more cost effective and is going to have much better performance.”
https://www.lightreading.com/5g/ericsson-ceo-warns-of-more-cuts-as-5g-market-stays-flat-
Ericsson remains firmly committed to its proprietary silicon. “That’s an easy investment case for us,” said Per Narvinger, the head of Ericsson’s mobile networks business group, ruling out any imminent pivot away from this and toward x86. “So far, we have been able to offer a better TCO [total cost of ownership] with custom silicon … We don’t see that changing rapidly. We still see the case for having custom silicon.”
Many telcos sound unconvinced that using GPUs for RAN compute at mobile sites will be economical or necessary for AI-RAN. Narvinger, without ruling out GPUs, evidently shares those concerns and says Ericsson has been able to improve network performance through AI-native link adaptation, a RAN technology, without the need for Nvidia’s chips so far.
“I can do it on existing baseband, I can do it on an Intel x86,” he said. “Such an algorithm would not justify having a GPU all the way out by the tower. But maybe if you have thousands of them, it’s a different question.”
Amid so much uncertainty, he naturally wants to avoid making an expensive commitment of resources to multiple software tracks for different silicon platforms. “Almost every month, you get a new announcement or someone wanting to be in the inference business of hardware, and so there are going to be a lot of choices, and we don’t see that decision has to be made already today,” he said. “I think it’s fair to assume, if you take a longer perspective on this, that there will be winners. And whether that will be one big winner or a couple of tracks, I think time will tell.”
-Nokia has taken a much bigger plunge into Nvidia’s GPUs at a relatively early stage.
-Ericsson aims to be as cautious as possible while ensuring it does not rule out any attractive silicon options that might emerge. With little sign of any major revival in the RAN market, neither approach is devoid of risk.
https://www.lightreading.com/5g/ericsson-resists-nokia-like-nvidia-pact-keeps-chip-options-open