Telia commissioned for Swedish Armed Forces 5G with Ericsson

By James Calloway

Sweden’s Armed Forces have commissioned Telia to build, develop and manage a dedicated 5G network, with Ericsson collaborating on advanced 5G capabilities for a new military platform. The assignment takes Nordic military 5G beyond trials and into a NATO-linked program.

On behalf of NATO, Sweden and Finland will develop future military communication solutions. Telia holds the central operator role in Sweden, while Ericsson contributes advanced 5G technology. Both will support a military innovation platform intended to strengthen defense capabilities and security for soldiers.

The announcement discloses no contract value, deployment timetable, spectrum allocation, coverage target or throughput benchmark. It names no specific technical release or security certification for the network. Those omissions leave its scale, cost and service performance unquantified, even though the companies present it as a concrete assignment.

What changes from the NorthStar trials?

The Swedish Armed Forces previously took part in Telia and Ericsson’s NorthStar innovation program, which tested 5G for military applications. The new commission advances that work from testing and joint innovation to a dedicated 5G capability for the Armed Forces.

Telia will build, develop and manage the capability, while Ericsson will contribute advanced 5G capabilities. The companies will also contribute to the new military innovation platform, which the Armed Forces are establishing with support from the Swedish Defence Materiel Administration, or FMV.

The platform is designed to translate new technology into operational military capability more quickly. It forms part of NATO’s connectivity innovation work, known as the NATO Innovation Range. Sweden and Finland’s assignment within that range gives the project an alliance role beyond a unilateral Swedish trial.

The arrangement also differs from a consumer 5G launch. The commission represents a concrete institutional mandate, but no disclosed figures establish network scale, investment or service performance. FMV’s support and NATO’s involvement establish the institutional context; the announcement leaves spectrum, security certification and interoperability details unresolved.

What does this change for military users?

The network is intended to complement existing military communications and form part of a broader, resilient communications solution. The stated requirement is fast, secure and reliable battlefield communications, with advanced 5G providing highly available links and connecting large numbers of systems and sensors.

Ericsson’s technical case rests on those capabilities improving situational awareness and opening new military uses. Announced applications include faster sharing of information about threats and enemy movements, detection of drones, and better warning of danger. The further claim is that soldiers will make decisions and act sooner. These are planned benefits rather than measured field results, and no test data accompanies the commission.

Anders Olsson, CEO of Telia Sweden, said: “We are incredibly proud of the trust Telia has received to develop the Swedish Armed Forces’ advanced 5G capability, in close collaboration with Ericsson.” He described the arrangement as a unique Nordic model for secure digital-infrastructure collaboration, bringing private companies and socially critical activities together to strengthen Swedish and NATO defense.

Major General Mattias Hanson, head of the Armed Forces’ Cyber Defense, said: “Sweden will not only use the communication technology of the future, we will participate in developing it for NATO’s future defense.” He called the Nordic region’s telecom expertise world-leading and said combining it with military operational needs would support faster development of capabilities for Sweden and its allies.

Freddie Södergren, head of Mission Critical Networks at Ericsson, said the Sweden-and-Finland assignment recognized Nordic innovation power and the growing importance of digital infrastructure for defense. He said combining advanced 5G with AI and cloud-based services could accelerate the move from technology to operational capability and improve coordination between military and critical societal actors. Ericsson is contributing alongside the Armed Forces, FMV and Telia.

The next milestone is the move from NorthStar trials to construction and operation of Sweden’s dedicated network. With no deployment date, investment figure or performance baseline disclosed, delivery will determine whether the promised security, availability, sensor connectivity and battlefield gains become operational capability.