The U.S. can win the global tech race with trusted networks and global collaboration

By Yossi Cohen, President and Head of Market Area Americas

For the past two decades, digital technology has not only driven US economic leadership but served as an increasingly important cornerstone of national security. At the same time, communications networks are critical national infrastructure and are as important as roads, railways and utilities. Recent attempts by state actors to infiltrate or disrupt telecom networks underscore why ‘trusted’ must be a security standard, not a slogan.

Today the US has the opportunity and the responsibility to maintain and extend its leadership in key areas like 6G and AI.

The US is Ericsson’s largest and most important market, and we take pride in being an integral part of the US tech ecosystem. We’ve been here for 120 years as a telecom provider and more recently as the largest manufacturer of 5G equipment in the U.S., with our manufacturing plant in Texas. Our presence includes more than 7,000 employees, multiple R&D hubs, and manufacturing operations.

We can only succeed through collaboration

The digital tech stack is comprised of 5G/6G, cloud, semiconductors and AI. Global technology leadership in the digital stack is at the center of present and future security concerns, and it is not surprising that digital technology is at the center of debates about national resilience and geopolitics.

However, it will be a struggle even for the US to achieve the scale needed to develop an ecosystem capable of innovating and sustaining scalable digital stacks.

We can only build a trusted digital ecosystem through collaboration between nations and other organizations aligned in their commitment to security, openness, innovation and consistent technology standards. US-led partnerships across regions will be vital to creating supply chains that are secure, independent, and scalable with partners. As part of this effort, adherence to security and supply-chain standards such as SCS 9001 provides verifiable trust across the ecosystem.

This way, we can achieve a secure and trusted digital stack without risking fragmented markets, duplicated investments, insecure technology and inconsistent standards.

Industry collaboration with governments is equally critical. Interoperable systems create a collaborative environment for entities across diverse geopolitical settings Efforts to align technology standards internationally – in areas such as spectrum allocation and Open RAN – are crucial for reducing costs, fostering competition, and facilitating rapid innovation.

Longstanding bipartisan efforts in the US, and more recent developments such as the “rip and replace” program for untrusted telecom equipment, show a promising commitment to safeguarding critical infrastructure. Ericsson remains strongly committed to working alongside industry representatives, policymakers, and allied nations to ensure that trusted technology providers drive the evolution of global networks.

We at Ericsson are working to foster ecosystem partnerships to pool expertise, share resources, and drive innovation while maintaining strategic economic security.  This ranges from our Aduna joint venture to Silicon Valley partners in the cloud and major tech space.

The US needs to lead in AI and 6G

The acceleration of digitalization, complemented by automation and electrification, will gain wide momentum in the next five to ten years. This cross-sectoral interplay will be underpinned by rapid technological advances across three cornerstone technologies: AI, cloud and mobile.

Wireless connectivity is already an essential part of the AI stack, and AI services will only scale with access to reliable, low latency connectivity with guaranteed uplink performance, especially as AI applications move to the edge. Trusted connectivity is also essential to safeguard the American AI stack as it is promoted and expands globally.

Commercial 6G is expected around 2030, assuming the first standards are available in 2029. 6G will build on and evolve from previous generations and introduce new concepts. The first wave of 6G will advance technologies and use cases already introduced in the 5G era.

As 6G develops, new network technologies will begin to redefine service possibilities, moving networks into new paradigms of ultra lean design, limitless connectivity, integrated sensing and communication, and seamless ground, air and satellite coverage. Through AI-native capabilities, 6G will take the telecom industry significantly closer to fully autonomous network operations with zero human touch, and we see new monetization opportunities through AI-as-a-Service models. Because integrated sensing and communications (ISAC) will greatly expand what networks can ‘sense,’ governance and supplier trust become even more critical to prevent misuse by bad actors.

Ericsson is already preparing for commercial 6G with early portfolio planning and system testbeds and trials. We have already started collaborations with key American partners, suppliers and customers.

Looking ahead: Ericsson is a natural partner for the US

As competitive and security challenges continue to evolve, Ericsson believes that steadfast collaboration is the only path forward. We welcome deeper partnerships with the US government on domestic infrastructure.

Looking ahead, our role is to contribute open interfaces, verifiable security, and US-based manufacturing within a multi-vendor, standards-aligned trusted stack. We will work with government, operators, and partners to strengthen domestic infrastructure while preserving an open, competitive global ecosystem.