At Mobile World Congress (MWC) 2026, intelligent networks took over with Ericsson and partners, initiating a roadmap for AI integration in hardware and software, making connectivity a high-value autonomous infrastructure, ready for 6G use cases.
This year, the focus in the telecom industry is shifting towards engineers responsible for developing a system that can think and respond on its own.
This change came from the need to prepare for a future that will be filled with smart glasses, robotic systems, and massive AI-driven workloads that will demand more than just a basic internet connection.
Building the Brain with AI-Native Silicon
The key change for this transformation has been the shift from general-purpose hardware to AI-native silicon. Ericsson has implemented this by integrating network intelligence directly into its radio units.
The change has allowed the network to handle data lifting with much less energy consumption. Rather than having to wait for instructions from a central hub, the intelligent chips allow the radio to make its own decisions in real-time, optimizing the way that signals are sent to devices.
Ericsson and Intel are co-engineering architectures that treat intelligent networks as a single, distributed computer. They are building operational trust for physical AI, such as robots that require instant feedback by embedding AI capabilities directly into the architecture.
Shifting toward cognitive networking ensures that the system can learn from its environment to improve performance. Furthermore, the launch of “Agentic rApp as a Service” on Amazon Web Services (AWS) marks a major milestone.
By using agentic AI in telecom, software agents can now handle complex troubleshooting and spectrum allocation.
This high level of intent based network automation ensures that as we move toward the 2029 milestone for commercial 6G, the intelligent networks infrastructure is already mature and ready.
“We are already on the journey toward an intelligent fabric, and it is happening right now. With clear proof points across the entire network, we are proving that a fully AI-powered network is not a distant capability five years out,” said Ericsson Group’s CTO, Erik Ekudden.
Transitioning to Autonomous Network
The 6G transition to intelligent networks demands moving compute power away from distant data centers and placing it at the edge. This proximity is essential for reducing latency, which is essential for scaling Extended Reality (XR) applications.
An autonomous network can manage these complex demands without human intervention, ensuring that resources are always where they are needed most. This represents a leap toward real-time autonomous networking and service monitoring on a global scale.
Managing these systems also requires intent-based networking, where operators define a goal, and the system figures out the best way to achieve it. This involves using intent based networks to manage invisible airwaves, or spectrum, more efficiently.
Through cognitive networking strategies, researchers are finding ways to share spectrum between 5G and early 6G environments, ensuring that no resources are wasted.
“6G is not merely an iteration of mobile technology. It is the infrastructure that will distribute AI across devices, the edge and the cloud,” Börje Ekholm, President and CEO of Ericsson, notes.
By bringing intelligence to every level today, the industry is setting the stage for an autonomous networking future. With network intelligence at the core, the industry is giving the foundation it needs to scale the next generation of AI.
Intelligent networks are the way for Ericsson to turn the promise of 6G into a reality. This evolution ensures that the global digital structure is not just faster, but smart enough to power the next generation of human and machine interaction.
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