Ericsson and MIT Collaborate to Research Next Generation of Mobile Networks

As we enter a new era of electronics driven by 5G and, eventually, 6G, MIT and Ericsson are working together on two research projects to help develop the new network infrastructure needed to undertake the truly revolutionary use cases that the next generation of mobile networks will offer.

The new mobile network generations provide the end-user with ultra-fast speeds, low latency, and excellent reliability. Large, feature-rich networks, on the other hand, are complicated structures for network operators to maintain. Ericsson is researching cognitive networks that use artificial intelligence (AI) to allow safe, highly automated, data-driven network operations. Ericsson Research and the MIT Materials Research Laboratory collaborate to research new designs in lithionic chips enabling neuromorphic computing, offering exponentially more energy-efficient AI processing to improve the compute power, speed, and energy efficiency of cognitive networks. This could enable completely intelligent networks with lower operational complexity and energy consumption than today.

Apart from lithionics research, Ericsson and the MIT Research Laboratory of Electronics (RLE) are working on mobile network research that connects billions of sensors and other "zero-energy" devices around us. It is a significant technological challenge to power these devices cost-effectively, possibly directly through a radio signal. Ericsson and MIT RLE's research may show how devices can collect energy from radio signals and other sources and how systems can be built to use this little power to perform basic tasks, such as how a mobile network can be designed to link and manage these devices.

ABOUT ERICSSON

Ericsson enables communications service providers to realize the value of connectivity fully. The business portfolio includes Networks, Digital Services, Managed Services, and Emerging Businesses. It is designed to assist our clients in going digital, increasing efficiency, and discovering new income streams. Ericsson's efforts in innovation have enabled billions of people across the globe to enjoy the advantages of telephony and mobile broadband.