Ericsson is maintaining its commitment to its proprietary cloud infrastructure platform for 5G core networks, rejecting the path taken by competitor Nokia. Jenny Lindqvist, who leads the company’s cloud software and services division, stated that the organization has no intention of altering this approach. This decision distinguishes Ericsson from Nokia, which exited the cloud infrastructure business three years ago by transferring its expertise and approximately 350 employees to IBM-owned Red Hat. Nokia executives had justified that exit by noting the difficulty of competing with major cloud providers and observing a telecommunications industry trend toward dismantling vendor-specific silos.
The industry is increasingly moving toward horizontal cloud platforms that support applications from multiple vendors. Deutsche Telekom, for example, developed its Horizontal TelCo Cloud to host applications from various suppliers. While Ericsson currently provides applications for Deutsche Telekom’s non-standalone 5G core on its own stack, the German operator plans to phase out that arrangement by 2028. Deutsche Telekom intends to transition to a standalone core provided by Mavenir on its HTC platform.
This shift has created challenges for open-source initiatives like Sylva, which aims to facilitate multi-vendor hosting. Laurent Leboucher, Orange’s group chief technology officer, noted that persuading major vendors to fully participate in such projects remains difficult. He highlighted instances where vendors claimed involvement in collaborative efforts while simultaneously resisting requirements during procurement processes.
Despite the industry trend, Ericsson argues that its independent platform offers distinct value. Lindqvist emphasized that the company serves a diverse customer base, including both smaller operators and major Tier 1 providers, on its Cloud Native Infrastructure Solution. Ericsson reports more than 50 live deployments of its core network applications on CNIS, with clients including Swisscom, Telefónica, Wind Tre, Telstra, SK Telecom, and Docomo. Additionally, the company has over 15 deployments on third-party clouds and is involved in trials with seven operators using an on-demand core network service announced with Google.
Lindqvist suggested that abandoning CNIS could leave dozens of existing customers without support. She noted that many operators still prefer purchasing a full stack from a single vendor rather than managing a multi-vendor environment. Ericsson maintains that its platform provides a strong alternative for customers seeking integrated solutions, even as the broader market explores more open, horizontal architectures.
