Standalone 5G has become a requirement for high-performance artificial intelligence applications, according to Ericsson president and CEO Borje Ekholm, speaking at Mobile World Congress 2026 in Barcelona on March 2, 2026.
Ekholm noted that 5G deployments have so far been predominantly non-standalone. He said the transition to standalone architecture enables the industry to “realise the promise of the service-based architecture and the ability to move to the cloud.”
AI Demand Driving the Shift to Standalone 5G
Ekholm described the current period as a new era shaped by surging AI demand and growth in connected devices. He said telecommunications networks must evolve to support AI at scale across enterprises, public services, and mission-critical applications.
“We have to make sure that we supply the best networks for AI, to scale AI to enterprises, to public service and to other mission-critical applications,” Ekholm said during the presentation.
Singtel CEO Highlights Network Slicing Revenue Potential
Singtel CEO Yuen Kuan Moon joined Ekholm on stage and pointed to network slicing as a source of new revenue opportunities. He cited security, factories, airports, and ports as sectors where the technology presents commercial potential.
“I think we are just scratching the surface here. If we do this well, there’s a lot of opportunity.”
Yuen Kuan Moon, CEO, Singtel
Aduna Joint Venture Cited as Ecosystem Model
Ekholm pointed to Aduna, a network APIs-focused joint venture, as a key example of industry collaboration. He described the initiative as an effort to bring the sector together to form broader ecosystems around network capabilities.
Aduna represents one of several moves by Ericsson to position its infrastructure as a platform for third-party developers and enterprise customers seeking programmable network access.
Industry Context and Future Outlook
The push toward standalone 5G aligns with broader industry momentum at MWC 2026, where operators and vendors are emphasizing network monetization beyond basic connectivity. Moreover, the integration of AI workloads into mobile networks is accelerating demand for lower latency and dedicated network slices.
Ericsson’s position reflects a wider industry consensus that non-standalone 5G, while widely deployed, lacks the architectural flexibility required for advanced AI and enterprise use cases. Consequently, operators face pressure to accelerate standalone rollouts to remain competitive in an AI-driven market.