On November 2, Sweden’s Telia and Ericsson launched outdoor trials to advance integrated sensing and communication in 6G, exploring how future mobile networks could detect surrounding objects, support AI-powered industries, and strengthen the country’s next-generation telecommunications infrastructure.
The partnership comes as Sweden looks beyond faster internet toward networks that can interpret their surroundings and support automated industries. With commercial 6G expected around 2030-2032, the challenge is no longer limited to developing advanced wireless technology.
Operators must determine whether these capabilities can become reliable services without adding excessive costs or new security risks.
Sweden Tests 6G Networks
Telia and Ericsson signed a memorandum of understanding (MoU) to expand 6G research and development (R&D), carrying their existing 5G experience into work on AI, industrial automation, energy efficiency, and network security. The agreement also commits them to engage industry, academia, and the public sector on standards, spectrum, and policy.
Their outdoor trials use pre-standard technology in the upper 6 GHz band, where engineers are evaluating coverage, signal performance, uplink capacity, and reliability. The launch included one of the Nordic region’s first over-the-air demonstrations of pre-standard 6G in that band.
“We look forward to working closely with Telia on the path to 6G,” said Patrick Johansson, Ericsson’s Head of Europe, Middle East and Africa.
The companies name autonomous transport, industrial robotics, and critical infrastructure monitoring as the first targets. 6G network speed latency capabilities will matter when robots or autonomous vehicles need immediate instructions.
The more interesting prospect is integrated sensing and communication in 6G, letting networks detect nearby objects while carrying conventional mobile traffic.
Ericsson has already demonstrated the concept on 5G, tracking drones with AT&T in Arlington, Texas, and Erillisverkot, Finland’s state critical-communications operator. The objects monitored never connect to the network because the system reads reflected radio signals.
That could change what telecom operators sell: environmental monitoring and positioning services alongside connectivity, using infrastructure already deployed across cities and industrial areas.
The potential is clearest in 6G manufacturing services, where a connected factory could identify approaching vehicles or track machinery without separate monitoring equipment.
Combining these functions would strain network resources, making AI native network slicing for 6G networks relevant. Operators could use intelligent software to prioritize time-sensitive industrial communications while allocating different resources to less demanding applications.
“Our investments in robust, secure and comprehensive 5G networks serve as a natural stepping-stone towards the next generation of connectivity: 6G,” said Anders Olsson, Head of Telia Sweden, framing it as building on existing technology.
Sweden already has experience introducing new generations of mobile technology, but the transition to 6G involves more than upgrading radio equipment. Networks will need additional computing resources, stronger cybersecurity, and systems capable of managing increasingly complex services.
The upper 6 GHz band could provide capacity while 600 MHz extends coverage to less populated areas. Telia and Ericsson will assess future needs in both, which carries weight because industrial applications are not limited to cities.
Through 6G technology research, the companies will involve businesses and public institutions in early testing. Their NorthStar innovation program expects to offer initial 6G capabilities to partners in 2029, giving companies an opportunity to assess practical applications before widespread deployment.
Integrated Sensing and Communication in 6G Goes Beyond Telecom Operators
Sweden’s investment extends into universities and public research. In May 2024, the Swedish Research Council opened a call for 6G network research, to strengthen national expertise.
The government’s initiative covers $39.8 million (SEK 390 million), including $14.3 million (SEK 140 million) allocated to the council. That October, it awarded $10.6 million (SEK 104 million) to four research environments led by KTH Royal Institute of Technology, Linkoping University, and Chalmers.
Mattias Marklund, the council’s Secretary General for Natural and Engineering Sciences at the Swedish Research Council, explained the importance of building stronger research environments.
“Building up strong research environments is crucial if Swedish research is to continue to be at the leading edge in this area, which will change the communication landscape,” said Marklund.
The funding also fits within the European vision for the 6G network ecosystem, where domestic expertise could help countries shape international standards and reduce dependence on technology developed elsewhere.
Research funding alone cannot guarantee industrial leadership. Sweden must connect laboratory work to applications that businesses find useful, particularly as industrial automation increases demand for secure and predictable connectivity.
6G AI native enablement capabilities could help networks manage traffic and computing resources automatically, though relying on AI raises accountability questions when systems make incorrect decisions.
This is why 6G research and development cioverss cybersecurity and resilience alongside radio performance. A malfunctioning network serving automated machinery could have consequences beyond interrupted internet.
Sweden is extending its research internationally. In October 2026, Ericsson announced cooperation with KTH and Singapore’s Nanyang Technological University on AI-supported positioning in complex environments.
The initiative could complement integrated sensing and communication in 6G by improving how networks locate objects indoors or in places where satellite positioning becomes unreliable.
For 6G manufacturing services, accurate positioning could support automated warehouses and industrial robots working near people.
The commercial potential of 6G network capabilities depends on solving operational problems rather than AI native network slicing for 6G networks may offer specialized industrial connectivity, but customers will expect performance guarantees first.
Sweden is trying to shorten the distance between scientific and deployment by connecting operators with universities, manufacturers, and foreign research institutions. Its approach to integrated sensing and communication in 6G suggests the next competition in telecommunications may depend less on which country reaches the highest speeds than on which can turn intelligent networks into industrial infrastructure.
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