NTT DATA, Ericsson join hands to scale private 5G, physical AI for enterprises
The partnership will enable AI-driven, outcome-focused transformation, as organisations look to embed intelligence at the edge across global operations.
NTT DATA, a global provider of AI, digital business and technology services, and Ericsson, a telecom equipment company, on Friday announced a multi-year partnership to drive enterprise adoption of private 5G and unlock advanced edge AI and physical AI use cases.
The partnership will enable AI-driven, outcome-focused transformation, as organisations look to embed intelligence at the edge across global operations, according to a release.
By combining Ericsson’s private 5G and Edge platforms with NTT DATA’s full-stack enterprise network services, wireless network expertise, IT/OT security and managed services, the companies aim to deliver industry-ready solutions that help enterprises deploy private 5G networks and deliver business outcomes.
The partnership focuses on four areas of priority including global private 5G managed services. Under this NTT DATA will act as Ericsson’s global system integration and managed services provider, delivering private 5G as a fully managed service with consistent architecture, operations and security worldwide.
Further, NTT DATA Edge AI agents will run on Ericsson’s enterprise Edge platforms, enabling real-time intelligence and autonomous decision-making where data is generated.
"The companies will deliver proven private 5G, edge AI and physical AI use cases across manufacturing, mining, ports, airports, energy, transportation and smart cities, helping enterprises accelerate deployment and realize measurable return on investment," it said.
Joint sales, marketing, and delivery will give enterprises a single, consistent path to deployment, reduce vendor complexity and speed time to value, the release added.
The partnership comes at a time when enterprises globally are accelerating investments in dedicated wireless networks to support Industry 4.0, automation and mission-critical operations. Private 5G networks offer ultra-low latency, high reliability and secure connectivity compared to traditional Wi-Fi, making them suitable for use cases such as autonomous mobile robots, predictive maintenance, remote operations and real-time video analytics.
According to industry estimates, the global private 5G market is expected to witness strong double-digit growth over the next decade as spectrum policies evolve and enterprises seek greater control over their connectivity infrastructure.
The focus on edge AI and so-called “physical AI,” where AI models interact directly with machines, sensors and industrial systems, reflects a broader shift from centralised cloud processing to distributed intelligence closer to where data is generated.
This architecture reduces latency, improves data sovereignty and enhances resilience, especially in environments such as factories, mines and ports where uninterrupted connectivity is critical.
(With inputs from PTI)