Singtel and Ericsson have announced a five-year partnership to expand 5G Advanced services and AI-powered network capabilities in Singapore, with the stated aim of improving network performance and reliability for enterprise customers.
The agreement extends collaboration announced in March and covers the expansion of advanced connectivity services across industries. The two companies also plan to use AI-assisted network management to improve service assurance and resource management.
Network slicing moves toward commercial scale
The partnership builds on existing work on Singapore's nationwide 5G standalone network and on network slicing, which lets an operator allocate dedicated network resources to applications with different performance requirements.
Under the agreement, Singtel and Ericsson will expand commercial deployment of network slicing and programmable connectivity for enterprise applications, including industrial robotics, autonomous vehicles, smart manufacturing and logistics operations that depend on low latency and consistent performance.
Singtel's plans also include end-to-end network slicing backed by enforceable service-level agreements (SLAs). Announced in March, the initiative is intended to give enterprises defined connectivity performance commitments for specific applications.
The operator is developing premium service tiers for enterprise, automotive, public sector and digital-native customers, and plans to make programmable network features available through commercial application programming interfaces (APIs) so that supported applications can access network capabilities.
Phased roadmap and market signals
The companies have outlined a phased roadmap with milestones in 2026, 2028 and 2030, although specific launch dates for individual services were not provided.
Ericsson's June Mobility Report counted 84 commercial offerings based on 5G standalone network slicing, up from 65 six months earlier. The figures cover differentiated connectivity services introduced by telecom operators across global markets.
Port, airport and district deployments
One existing deployment is at PSA Singapore's Tuas Port, where 5G network slicing supports communications between automated guided vehicles, cranes and other port systems, providing dedicated resources for real-time coordination of equipment and operations.
That work builds on a project announced in November 2024 to upgrade automated guided vehicles to 5G and support real-time shipment tracking and crane operations; Singtel also outlined plans for private network connectivity tailored to the port's security requirements. In October 2026 the companies confirmed that network slicing was supporting secure, low-latency communications across the port's automated systems, while the original project included using real-time shipment data to improve berth scheduling and cargo movement.
The partners will also explore connectivity applications at Changi Airport Terminal 5, Bulim Square and upcoming developments by JTC. Potential uses cited include:
- autonomous mobility
- remote monitoring
- intelligent inspection systems
- real-time video analytics
Uplink gains and AI-led operations
Singtel and Ericsson have additionally introduced network enhancements supporting peak uplink speeds of up to 250 Mbps on compatible newer devices. The capability is aimed at data-intensive applications such as high-definition video transmission, remote monitoring and AI-powered video analytics.
Beyond connectivity services, the partnership covers the use of AI to manage network operations. The companies plan to extend automation across radio access and core networks so that systems can predict traffic patterns, optimise resource allocation and identify potential performance issues earlier.
They recently completed a live-network trial of AI-powered radio access network capabilities and reported a 19% improvement in throughput. The announcement did not provide detailed testing conditions or corresponding figures for latency, network availability or enterprise service-level compliance.
Service assurance is also in scope, with Singtel planning to use AI-assisted network monitoring and automation to improve operational efficiency and reliability. The companies are working toward Level 4 autonomous network operations under TM Forum's framework, as set out in their March agreement. Level 4 involves predictive network management and closed-loop automation, allowing systems to monitor conditions and adjust resources automatically; Singtel has not announced that its network has reached that level of autonomy.
The plans further include improving network resilience, cybersecurity and energy efficiency as automation is introduced across operations.
Ng Tian Chong, CEO of Singtel Singapore, said the partnership is intended to make advanced network capabilities more accessible to customers while improving reliability and performance. "Our priority is to make these capabilities more widely accessible and commercially viable," he said.