Erik Ekudden, CTO of Ericsson, said the centre will help Swedish industry and research test 5G, 6G and AI before commercial rollout.
Sweden is setting up a national test centre for 5G, 6G and AI through Digital Arena Sweden, an initiative backed by more than SEK 300 million in investment.
The centre brings together Ericsson, Telia, RISE Research Institutes of Sweden, AstaZero, Future by Lund and other partners, with support from Sweden’s innovation agency Vinnova through the Avancerad Digitalisering programme.
Ericsson will be responsible for creating a pre commercial 6G test environment in collaboration with Lund University and KTH Royal Institute of Technology. The test centre is intended to give Swedish companies early access to advanced digital technologies and help reduce the time between concept testing and market ready use.
The announcement comes as Sweden’s political, business and academic leaders gather at the Almedalen 2026 discussion forum on Gotland.
Erik Ekudden, CTO, Ericsson, said, “In Sweden, we have extensive experience in driving technological leadership. By creating one of the world’s first test environments for the combination of 5G,6G and AI, several years before the technology becomes commercial, we are ensuring that Swedish industry and research remain at the absolute forefront. For Ericsson, this is an opportunity to define, together with our partners, how a connected society will function, where AI agents, physical AI (robotics), and autonomous systems can be developed and validated to meet the future.”
Anders Olsson, CEO, Telia Sweden, said, “Through the new test center, we are opening up for more companies to take part in the latest 5G technology and AI, where we can meet high demands for security and sovereignty.”
The test centre will support sectors including mining, transport, defence and medtech in exploring 6G use cases. Findings from the environment are also expected to contribute to global 6G standardisation work.
The 6G environment builds on NorthStar, the Telia and Ericsson programme that provides access to advanced 5G capabilities.
Digital Arena Sweden will also provide a shared digital portal and common testing structure to make advanced connectivity and AI tools more accessible to Swedish companies, researchers and institutions.
At Prittle Prattle News, featuring you virtuously, we celebrate the commitment and innovation. Led by Editor-in-Chief Smruti Bhalerao, our platform is dedicated to sharing impactful stories that inspire change and create awareness. Follow us on LinkedIn, Instagram, and YouTube for more stories that matter.
Add Comment