Verizon to deploy Ericsson Intelligent Controller across US network this year

Verizon will roll out Ericsson's Intelligent Controller (EIC) across its entire US network this year, under an expanded AI partnership between the two companies that is already showing throughput and efficiency gains on a live network.

The deal makes Verizon one of the first major operators to commit to a network-wide deployment of the EIC platform, which hosts AI-powered applications known as rApps. Both companies will develop the applications, which are designed to improve network performance, manage traffic and make operations more efficient across the operator's mobile infrastructure.

What has live testing actually delivered?

The two companies have already tested the technology on a live network. They recorded improvements in network speed and efficiency through AI-powered traffic management and better use of Massive MIMO antenna technology.

One concrete result came in Fixed Wireless Access (FWA), a growing part of Verizon's consumer and business portfolio. During testing, Verizon introduced a system that automatically moves FWA devices from LTE to standalone 5G. The same system handles failed connections without any manual intervention, removing a task that previously required engineering time.

Matt Butz, Verizon's Vice President of Network Planning, framed the results in direct terms. "Our expanded collaboration with Ericsson brings AI-native RAN automation that elevates performance across mobility and Fixed Wireless Access," he said.

"Using the Ericsson Intelligent Controller, and Ericsson rApps, in a live environment, we demonstrated AI cell shaping of Massive MIMO and traffic steering with significant gains in throughput and efficiency," Butz continued. "Verizon's ability to self-develop rApps on this open platform will help usher in a new level of automation as we prepare for 6G."

The reference to an open platform matters. Verizon intends to write its own rApps on top of the controller rather than depend solely on Ericsson-supplied software, which would give the operator in-house control over how automation is applied.

Which rApps are coming next?

Beyond the FWA migration system, Verizon plans to test and introduce additional rApps from Ericsson:

• Cell Anomaly Detector — to identify network problems as they emerge
• Root Cause Explainer — to find the causes behind those problems
• Anomaly General Optimiser — to improve performance where anomalies appear

Together the three applications target the diagnostic side of network operations, an area where operators still spend heavily on manual troubleshooting.

Ravi Vaidyanathan, Ericsson Americas VP and Head of Cloud Software & Services, said the vendor sees the partnership as a step toward a self-managing network. "We're proud to deepen our collaboration with Verizon to advance how AI transforms mobile networks," he said. "Together, we're driving major gains in network performance and building a smarter, more efficient and autonomous network, unlocking better customer experiences and transforming operations."

Vendor claims of a "smarter, more efficient and autonomous network" remain marketing language until measured results are published. The live-network demonstration, by contrast, produced what Verizon describes as significant throughput and efficiency gains from AI cell shaping and traffic steering.

What does this change for network operations?

The rollout supports Verizon's move toward Level 4 network autonomy, the stage at which most network tasks are managed automatically with limited human involvement. If the EIC deployment and the planned rApps perform as tested, routine work — migrating FWA devices between generations of technology, detecting cells that behave abnormally, diagnosing faults — shifts from engineers to software.

For Ericsson, the agreement extends a long-standing RAN relationship with its largest North American customer into the cloud software domain, at a moment when operators are weighing how much AI automation to embed in radio access networks.

Verizon expects the nationwide EIC rollout to complete within the current year, with the additional Ericsson rApps to follow in testing and introduction — a timeline the operator links directly to its preparation for 6G.