Ericsson, Leonardo and the Italian Navy completed a live maritime trial of 5G Standalone (SA) connectivity during an open-sea training exercise in the Gulf of Taranto. The test linked two naval vessels in real daytime and nighttime operational conditions, validating long-range 5G SA data communications at sea.
Engineers installed a fully self-contained end-to-end Ericsson 5G SA network aboard the amphibious landing ship San Giorgio, which served as the lead unit. The deployment included Ericsson’s Ultra Compact Core and Massive MIMO Radio Access Network (RAN) systems. A second vessel, the Multi-Purpose Combat Ship Raimondo Montecuccoli, operated with Ericsson 5G SA customer premises equipment (CPE). The trial formed part of the Italian Navy’s Operational Experimentation (OPEX) Task 2-25 under its Multi-Domain Operational Experimentation Committee framework.
Using Ericsson’s 5G SA platform combined with Leonardo’s NINE encryption solution, the exercise enabled secure, real-time exchange of classified and unclassified data between the two ships. Crews transmitted full situational awareness feeds from the Combat Management System along with video streams from 12 unmanned systems processed via the AI Brain platform. The OPEX campaign assessed performance, security and resilience, and demonstrated how a unified 5G network can optimize spectrum usage compared with multiple standalone communications systems operating in overlapping unlicensed bands.
- Long-range 5G SA data communications validated at sea
- End-to-end portable 5G SA network installed aboard San Giorgio
- CPE deployed on Raimondo Montecuccoli for ship-to-ship connectivity
- Secure exchange of classified and unclassified information enabled
- Real-time video from 12 unmanned systems integrated via AI Brain
- Trial conducted during Italian Navy OPEX 2-25 in the Gulf of Taranto
- Builds on prior 2024 NATO 5G SA trials at Taranto naval base
Freddie Södergren, Head of Mission Critical Networks at Ericsson, said: “This successful trial with Leonardo and the Italian Navy represents a significant milestone in our ongoing commitment to advancing defense capabilities through 5G technology. As an integral part of Ericsson’s defense portfolio, our 5G platform is designed to meet the rigorous demands of the sector.”
🌐 Analysis: The trial positions 5G Standalone as a candidate architecture for naval multi-domain operations, where secure, high-bandwidth connectivity supports unmanned systems, AI processing and real-time command integration. Ericsson has expanded its defense-focused 5G portfolio in parallel with similar mission-critical initiatives from other European vendors, as NATO members evaluate commercial 5G platforms for tactical and expeditionary deployments.
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