In a significant move that underscores India's growing prominence in the global telecommunications sector, Ericsson has officially announced the establishment of a new Radio Access Network (RAN) Software Research & Development unit in Bengaluru.
Strategic Expansion in India's Tech Hub
This new center represents a strategic expansion of Ericsson's R&D footprint within the country and is set to focus primarily on developing advanced 5G features for the company's baseband systems. The decision to base this critical unit in Bengaluru highlights the city's established reputation as a hub for cutting-edge technology and its vital role in shaping next-generation connectivity solutions.
Nitin Bansal, Managing Director of Ericsson India, emphasized the importance of this step. He stated that setting up the R&D Center in India for RAN software development is a significant leap forward. The initiative is designed to leverage the vast pool of Indian software talent while simultaneously contributing to and enriching the nation's own telecom knowledge base.
Collaboration and Broader R&D Ecosystem
The Bengaluru unit will not operate in isolation. It is planned to collaborate closely with Ericsson's global RAN software teams, ensuring that local innovations have a worldwide impact. This new center complements the company's ongoing research and development efforts in other Indian cities, including Chennai and Gurugram.
David Bjore, Head of RAN Software & Compute Platforms at Ericsson, marked a historic milestone, noting that for the first time, this specific RAN software is being developed in-house within India. He described this as a significant step that not only supports the domestic technology scene but also enables a substantial global impact from Indian soil.
Ericsson's research endeavors in India now span several critical and future-facing domains, creating a comprehensive innovation ecosystem. The key areas of focus include:
- 5G and 5G Advanced software
- ASIC development, which saw an expansion in June 2025
- AI frameworks for 6G, developed in partnership with IIT Madras
- Cyber-physical systems and edge computing, in collaboration with IIT Kharagpur and the Indian Statistical Institute
- XR and Digital Twin technologies, working with partners like Volvo and Airtel
Reinforcing India's Position in Global Telecom
This investment by a global telecom giant like Ericsson serves as a powerful endorsement of India's software capabilities and its strategic importance in the worldwide rollout and evolution of mobile networks. By anchoring such high-value RAN software development in Bengaluru, Ericsson is not just accessing talent but is actively participating in building India's capacity as a core innovation center for future telecom technologies, from enhanced 5G to the foundational work on 6G.
