Ericsson and Intel collaborate to accelerate AI-Native 6G; other AI-Native 6G advancements at MWC 2026
Ericsson and Intel at MWC 2026:
Building on milestones in Cloud RAN, 5G Core, and open network innovation, Ericsson and Intel are showcasing joint technology advancements at the Mobile World Congress (MWC) 2026 in Barcelona this week. Demonstrations can be experienced at the Ericsson Pavilion (Hall 2), Intel Booth (Hall 3, Stand 3E31), and across partner event spaces, highlighting the companies’ shared progress in enabling the next era of AI-driven networks.
The two companies are strengthening their long-standing technology partnership to accelerate ecosystem readiness for AI-native 6G networks and use cases. The expanded collaboration spans next-generation mobile connectivity, cloud infrastructure, and compute acceleration — with a focus on AI-driven RAN and packet core evolution, platform-level security, and scalable cloud-native architectures designed to shorten time-to-market for advanced network solutions.
“6G is not merely an iteration of mobile technology; it will serve as the foundational infrastructure distributing AI across devices, the edge, and the cloud,” said Börje Ekholm, President and CEO of Ericsson. “With our deep history in network innovation and global-scale operator deployments, Ericsson is uniquely positioned to drive practical 6G integration from research to commercialization.”
Lip-Bu Tan, CEO of Intel, added: “Intel’s vision is to lead the industry in unifying RAN, Core, and edge AI to enable seamless deployment of AI-native 6G environments. Together with Ericsson, we are proving that next-generation connectivity can be open, energy-efficient, secure, and intelligent. With future Ericsson Silicon built on Intel’s most advanced process technologies, coupled with Intel Xeon-powered AI-RAN ready Cloud RAN and collaborative multi-year research efforts, we are delivering the performance, efficiency, and supply assurance demanded by leading operators worldwide.”
As 6G transitions from research to commercialization, the industry must align around a mature, standards-based ecosystem. The Ericsson–Intel collaboration aims to accelerate development of high-performance, energy-efficient compute architectures optimized for both AI for Networks and Networks for AI.
AI-native 6G will fuse intelligent, programmable network functions with distributed compute and real-time sensing, bringing processing power closer to the network edge and enabling ultra-responsive, adaptive services. This convergence will enhance network efficiency, agility, and service intelligence across future deployments.
About Ericsson:
Ericsson‘s high-performing networks provide connectivity for billions of people every day. For 150 years, we’ve 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.
About Intel:
Intel is an industry leader, creating world-changing technology that enables global progress and enriches lives. Inspired by Moore’s Law, we continuously work to advance the design and manufacturing of semiconductors to help address our customers’ greatest challenges. By embedding intelligence in the cloud, network, edge and every kind of computing device, we unleash the potential of data to transform business and society for the better.
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Related AI-Native 6G Announcements at MWC 2026:
In addition to the Ericsson-Intel collaboration, several vendors and operators announced AI-native 6G advancements or related demos at MWC Barcelona 2026. These initiatives emphasize AI-RAN integration, software-defined architectures, and ecosystem partnerships to bridge 5G-A to 6G.
NVIDIA Multi-Partner Commitment: NVIDIA rallied operators and vendors including Booz Allen, BT Group, Cisco, Deutsche Telekom, Ericsson, Nokia, SK Telecom, SoftBank, and T-Mobile to build open, secure AI-native 6G platforms. The focus is on software-defined wireless with AI embedded in RAN, edge, and core for integrated sensing, communications, and interoperability.
Nokia AI-RAN: Nokia highlighted new partnerships with Dell, Quanta, Red Hat, SuperMicro, NVIDIA, and operators like T-Mobile, Indosat Ooredoo Hutchison, BT, Elisa, NTT DOCOMO, and Vodafone for AI-RAN trials paving the way to cognitive 6G networks. Live demos at Nokia’s Hall 3 Booth 3B20 included Southeast Asia’s first AI-RAN Layer 3 5G call on shared GPU infrastructure and vision AI for immersive services.
T-Mobile & Deutsche Telekom Hub: T-Mobile US and (major shareholder) Deutsche Telekom launched a joint 6G Innovation Hub targeting AI-native autonomous networks, secure sensing/positioning, and connectivity-compute convergence for Physical AI. It builds on agentic AI proofs like network-integrated translation, emphasizing “kinetic tokens” for real-time physical world control.
ZTE GigaMIMO 6G Prototype: ZTE unveiled the world’s first 6G prototype with 2000+ U6G-band antenna elements (GigaMIMO), powered by AI algorithms for 10x capacity over 5G-A, 30% spectral efficiency gains, and AI-driven immersive services. Booth 3F30 demos integrate AI across connectivity, computing, and devices for “AI serves AI” networks.
Qualcomm Agentic AI RAN: Qualcomm announced AI-native RAN management services in its Dragonwing suite for autonomous 6G-grade networks, plus new Open RAN AI features for performance optimization. CEO Cristiano Amon’s keynote focused on “Architecting 6G for the AI Era,” with device-to-data-center transformations.
Huawei U6GHz for 6G Path:
Huawei released all-scenario U6GHz products (macro/micro sites, microwave) with AI-centric solutions for 5G-A capacity (100 Gbps downlink) and low-latency AI apps, enabling smooth 6G evolution. Emphasizes hyper-resolution MU-MIMO and multi-band coordination for indoor/outdoor AI experiences.
Summary Chart:
| Vendor/Operator | Key Focus | Partners/Demos | Booth/Location |
|---|---|---|---|
| NVIDIA | Open AI-native platforms | Multiple operators/vendors | MWC general |
| Nokia | AI-RAN trials & cognitive networks | NVIDIA, T-Mobile, IOH et al. | Hall 3, 3B20 |
| T-Mobile/DT | Physical AI hub | Joint R&D | Announced pre-MWC |
| ZTE | GigaMIMO 6G prototype | China Mobile, Qualcomm | Hall 3, 3F30 |
| Qualcomm | Agentic RAN automation | Open RAN ecosystem | Keynote & demos |
| Huawei | U6GHz AI-centric evolution | Carrier-focused | MWC showcase |
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References:
NVIDIA and global telecom leaders to build 6G on open and secure AI-native platforms + Linux Foundation launches OCUDU
Comparing AI Native mode in 6G (IMT 2030) vs AI Overlay/Add-On status in 5G (IMT 2020)
SKT 6G ATHENA White Paper: a mid-to-long term network evolution strategy for the AI era
Dell’Oro: RAN Market Stabilized in 2025 with 1% CAG forecast over next 5 years; Opinion on AI RAN, 5G Advanced, 6G RAN/Core risks
Nokia and Rohde & Schwarz collaborate on AI-powered 6G receiver years before IMT 2030 RIT submissions to ITU-R WP5D
SK Telecom, DOCOMO, NTT and Nokia develop 6G AI-native air interface
Market research firms Omdia and Dell’Oro: impact of 6G and AI investments on telcos
Ericsson goes with custom silicon (rather than Nvidia GPUs) for AI RAN
Dell’Oro: Analysis of the Nokia-NVIDIA-partnership on AI RAN
RAN silicon rethink – from purpose built products & ASICs to general purpose processors or GPUs for vRAN & AI RAN
