Ericsson opens Bengaluru R&D unit to drive 5G software development

Ericsson has established a new Radio Access Network (RAN) software research and development (R&D) unit in Bengaluru, India

In explaining the rationale for its move, the comms tech provider says Bengaluru is recognised as one of the country’s fastest-growing technology hubs, and is well known for its skilled professional talent pool – especially in software engineering – hence the presence of major global telecom companies. It adds that the dynamic ecosystem positions the city as a prime location for R&D operations in India.

The initiative follows a number of recent Ericsson R&D investments in India, reflecting both the country’s skilled workforce and Ericsson’s commitment to the local and global markets.

Already boasting three R&D centres in India, located in Chennai, Bengaluru and Gurgaon, in 2023, Ericsson announced the launch of an India 6G programme with the formation of an India 6G research team in its Chennai R&D centre. This comprises senior research leaders and a team of researchers across the areas of radio, networks, artificial intelligence (AI) and cloud, who have been entrusted with developing fundamental services for the future of telecommunications.

Current R&D initiatives in the region include the recent expansion of application-specific integrated circuit development, unveiled in June 2025, aimed at fostering the semiconductor ecosystem in India. These efforts are designed to underscore Ericsson’s commitment to enhancing its portfolio.

The company’s R&D sites in Chennai, Bengaluru and Gurugram span critical telecom domains including transport, packet core, OSS, BSS, cloud and advanced artificial intelligence (AI) technologies. The R&D unit will initially focus on developing 5G and 5G Advanced features for the Ericsson 5G baseband. The work will be carried out in close collaboration with the company’s global RAN software teams.

Ericsson is also collaborating with Volvo and Airtel to integrate XR and Digital Twin technologies at Volvo’s Bengaluru R&D Centre and working with IIT Madras to advance AI research for 6G networks, focusing on responsible AI frameworks. Additional partnerships with the Indian Statistical Institute and IIT Kharagpur target cyber physical systems, AI-driven networks, secure communications and edge computing.

On a broader note, regarding its global research funding, Ericsson said it invests approximately $5bn in R&D each year, mainly to drive 5G and next-generation technology development.

Nitin Bansal, managing director at Ericsson India and head of network solutions for South East Asia, Oceania and India, said: “Setting up the R&D Centre in India for RAN software development represents a significant step forward towards strengthening our R&D operations in India. Even as we leverage Indian software talent, we are also contributing to building the knowledge base and the telecom ecosystem in the country.” 

David Bjore, head of RAN software and compute platforms at Ericsson, added: “This latest Ericsson R&D investment and commitment shows how important India is to our work on next-generation technology.

“We’re building on the strong partnerships we’ve formed in Bengaluru, Chennai and Gurugram, and for the first time, we’re developing this RAN software ourselves in India. This is a significant step, as it not only supports India’s rising tech scene, but also enables us to create solutions in the country that can have a global impact.”