Ericsson is sharpening its long-term India strategy with a new Radio Access Network (RAN) Software R&D unit in Bengaluru — a move that signals how rapidly the country is becoming central to next-generation telecom innovation. The decision follows the company’s series of recent India-based R&D investments, underscoring the depth of talent available in the market and India’s maturing role in global telecom engineering.

The new unit will initially focus on developing 5G and 5G Advanced capabilities for Ericsson’s 5G baseband, closely aligned with its global RAN software teams. For Bengaluru — already one of the world’s fastest-growing technology clusters — the announcement adds another high-value R&D mandate to its ecosystem of telecom, AI, semiconductor and advanced software engineering experts.

Why Bengaluru – and Why Now?

Bengaluru’s engineering workforce, research culture and concentration of global telecom companies have positioned it as a natural expansion point for Ericsson. The city’s blend of software talent and systems engineering depth makes it ideal for RAN development, particularly as networks move towards cloud-native, programmable and AI-enabled architectures.

Nitin Bansal, Managing Director of Ericsson India, framed the move as an investment in talent and the wider ecosystem, noting that expanding RAN development in India advances both Ericsson’s global roadmap and the country’s telecom knowledge base.

David Bjore, Head of RAN Software & Compute Platforms, highlighted the significance of developing RAN software from India for the global market — a first for the company. The approach strengthens Ericsson’s distributed R&D model while reinforcing India’s ascent as a strategic centre for future network technologies.

The India R&D Momentum: From Silicon to 6G

Ericsson’s latest investment builds on a string of R&D initiatives launched over the past two years:

Strengthening India’s Semiconductor Ambition

In June 2025, the company expanded its ASIC development efforts to accelerate India’s semiconductor ecosystem. This area is crucial as next-generation RAN architectures depend heavily on energy-efficient, high-performance silicon.

XR, Digital Twins and Industry Collaboration

Ericsson is working with Volvo and Airtel on XR and Digital Twin implementations at Volvo’s Bengaluru R&D Centre — an indicator of how immersive tech is moving from consumer novelty to industrial necessity.

AI Research for 6G

Through collaboration with IIT Madras, Ericsson is exploring Responsible AI frameworks for emerging 6G networks. Additional research partnerships with ISI and IIT Kharagpur cover cyber-physical systems, secure communications and edge computing.

A Century-Long Engagement

Ericsson’s contribution to India extends more than 120 years, from bringing GSM to the country in 1994 to supporting India’s 5G rollout and establishing a dedicated 6G research team in Chennai in 2024.

These initiatives reflect a clear pattern: India is no longer just a large telecom market; it is evolving into a high-impact R&D hub shaping the future of global networks.

A Broader Telecom Shift: India as a Development Powerhouse

Ericsson invests roughly USD 5 billion annually in R&D worldwide. The inclusion of its Bengaluru, Chennai and Gurugram sites in areas such as transport, core, cloud, OSS, BSS and AI confirms India’s relevance to mission-critical telecom domains.

With telecom networks becoming more software-defined, programmable and autonomous, India’s engineering depth offers the scale and expertise needed to push RAN modernisation forward. This new unit positions India at the intersection of 5G evolution and 6G preparation, bridging local capability with global requirements.

Conclusion: India Moves Up the Telecom Value Chain

Ericsson’s new RAN Software R&D unit in Bengaluru is more than an expansion — it is a signal of a structural shift. India is transitioning from deployment-led telecom growth to design-led innovation, contributing directly to global network evolution.

As 5G matures and 5G Advanced and early 6G frameworks emerge, the RAN becomes a critical control point. Ericsson’s decision to anchor more of that work in India reflects confidence not only in local talent but in India’s growing influence over the world’s telecom future.

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