Singtel and Ericsson have announced a five-year partnership to expand 5G Advanced services and AI-powered network capabilities in Singapore. The companies say the work is intended to improve network performance and reliability for enterprise customers, extending a collaboration announced in March.
Under the agreement, the partners plan to expand advanced connectivity services across industries and to use AI-assisted network management for service assurance and resource management. The partnership builds on existing work on Singapore’s nationwide 5G standalone network and network slicing, which lets operators assign dedicated network resources to applications with different performance needs.
Enterprise slicing and programmable connectivity
Singtel and Ericsson plan to broaden commercial deployment of network slicing and programmable connectivity for enterprise applications. The target uses include industrial robotics, autonomous vehicles, smart manufacturing and logistics operations that need low latency and consistent performance.
Singtel’s plans also include end-to-end network slicing backed by enforceable service-level agreements. The initiative, announced in March, is meant to give enterprises defined connectivity performance commitments for specific applications. Singtel is developing premium service tiers for enterprise, automotive, public-sector and digital-native customers, and plans to make programmable network features available through commercial APIs so supported applications can access network capabilities.
The companies have set out a phased roadmap with milestones in 2026, 2028 and 2030, but did not provide specific launch dates for individual services.
Ericsson’s June Mobility Report identified 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 and airport applications
One existing deployment is at PSA Singapore’s Tuas Port, where 5G network slicing supports communications among automated guided vehicles, cranes and other port systems. The technology provides dedicated network resources for real-time coordination of equipment and operations. The deployment 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. The original project also included plans to use real-time shipment data to improve berth scheduling and cargo movement. The companies will also explore connectivity applications at Changi Airport Terminal 5, Bulim Square and upcoming developments by JTC. Potential uses include autonomous mobility, remote monitoring, intelligent inspection systems and real-time video analytics.
Uplink and AI operations
Singtel and Ericsson have also introduced network enhancements supporting peak uplink speeds of up to 250 Mbps on compatible newer devices. The capability is intended for data-intensive applications such as high-definition video transmission, remote monitoring and AI-powered video analytics.
Beyond enterprise connectivity, the partnership covers AI for network operations. The companies plan to expand automation across radio access and core networks to 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.
The partnership also covers service assurance, 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 outlined in their March agreement. Level 4 involves predictive network management and closed-loop automation, allowing systems to monitor conditions and adjust resources automatically. The announcement did not say that Singtel’s network has reached that level. The plans also include improving network resilience, cybersecurity and energy efficiency as automation is introduced.
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,” Ng said.