- From network slicing to precise positioning to 6G, the core is the key
- We can expect AI additions along with the 5G SA core when 6G arrives
- Around 90 operators have deployed a 5G SA core so far, according to Ericsson's 5G core maven Henri Jardle
MOBILE WORLD CONGRESS 2026, BARCELONA — Stop us if you've heard this one before, but the 5G standalone (SA) core is the key to unlocking 5G features, such as slicing, automation and advanced positioning. It is how carriers can make some moolah and the only way that operators can actually deploy 6G, something that Ericsson was keen to stress — once again! — at Mobile World Congress 2026 in Barcelona.
Ericsson's 5G core maven Henri Jardle noted that the 3GPP intelligence organization the Global mobile Suppliers Association (GSA) has said that "around 90 operators" have deployed a 5G SA core so far. The group has identified "181 operators in 73 countries investing in public 5G standalone networks, up from 175 in the previous quarter," it said in its latest report. That still means that plenty of operators that are still draggin' along with a 4G core to control their 5G radios. Not ideal!
Jardle, who is head of solution line packet core (5G) for Ericsson, said that mobile video conferencing was the most popular application-cum-service that uses the 5G SA core right now. "We're showcasing here," he said. "First it was only iPhone but you have have support for Android now too." T-Mobile and Verizon have been pushing it in the United States, he said. He also noted that 2026 would be a year of concreting services that use the core, adding, "Did you get the service level you asked for?"
He also sees specific services coming out of 5G-Advanced realm like RedCap IoT and L4S video services. Jardle envisages construction vehicles using the non-jittery video service to assist with automated driving tasks. Obviously, he also sees gamers looking longingly at smooth clear high-def mobile video.
The Ericsson core expert also says that a new precise positioning service has arrived from the Swedish vendor, which utilizes the core. This uses AI and real-time kinematic positioning (RTK) to deliver a device's position inside a building accurate to a few centimeters. Jardle said they had developed the system because "GPS doesn't work good indoors."
"We launched it in January, and are running trials with the new solution (and radio elements) with Optus (announced during the week)," Ericsson told Fierce separately. Ericsson is using a API to send out a device's position so that moving vehicles can be supported.
There are actually a few new tricks in precise location systems occurring at the moment, like the new system from well-funded startup ZaiNar.
AI into 6G
Jardle stressed repeatedly that 6G - which is coming sometime in the 2029-2030 timeframe - will require the 5G SA core. He noted, however, that AI is changing the game on core updates expected for late period 5G and into 6G.
Jardle suggests that the typical 3GPP style upgrade path is far too slow for the AI innovations that are happening. "We won't be able to keep up," Jardle said.
So expect some separate AI innovations along with the 5G SA core when we hop, skip and jump into the delightful meadowlands of 6G.
Read all of our coverage from Mobile World Congress 2026 in Barcelona here.