Ericsson said in a 3 November announcement from Plano, Texas that Verizon plans to roll out its Intelligent Controller nationwide in 2026, after a field deployment of an antenna-shaping application produced downlink throughput gains of up to 8.9%.
Key points
- Verizon plans a nationwide rollout of the Ericsson Intelligent Controller in 2026, Ericsson says.
- Ericsson reported field-deployment gains of up to 8.9% in downlink data radio bearer throughput and up to 8% in uplink UE throughput.
- Verizon plans to test and deploy applications for detecting network anomalies, explaining their causes and optimising responses.
AAS Cell Shaper field results
The planned rollout extends an existing Verizon–Ericsson collaboration into broader radio access network automation. The Ericsson Intelligent Controller is part of a platform on which Ericsson and Verizon can run rApps: applications that automate network tasks. Ericsson says the controller will support applications developed by both companies.
Ericsson attributed the field results to its Advanced Antenna System, or AAS, Cell Shaper rApp. It reported gains of up to 8.9% in downlink data radio bearer throughput and up to 8% in uplink UE throughput. The application runs around the clock in a closed loop, using network feedback to adjust operation automatically, according to the company.
Matt Butz, Verizon’s vice president of network planning, said the companies had used the controller and Ericsson rApps in a live environment to demonstrate AI-based shaping of Massive MIMO antenna coverage and traffic steering. He said the work concerned performance for both mobile users and Fixed Wireless Access customers.
Ericsson also said Verizon had implemented a handover method for Fixed Wireless Access devices moving from LTE to standalone 5G. The method removed manual intervention when those handovers failed, according to the announcement. It is a separate operational result from the Cell Shaper throughput figures.
For Verizon, the controller provides a way to run its own network applications alongside Ericsson’s. Butz said Verizon’s ability to develop rApps for the platform would support its preparations for 6G. Ericsson describes the controller as standards-based and open to applications built for its interfaces.
Verizon’s next controller applications
Verizon plans to test and deploy further self-developed and Ericsson applications, the vendor said. The named Ericsson rApps are Cell Anomaly Detector, Root Cause Explainer and Anomaly General Optimizer. They are intended to identify network irregularities, help account for them and automate optimisation.
Ericsson says those applications form part of Verizon’s move towards L4 network autonomy, a level of automated network operation. The company has described the handover method as implemented and the Cell Shaper results as coming from a field deployment. The additional rApps are described as applications Verizon will test and deploy.
The controller sits within Ericsson’s Intelligent Automation Platform, which the vendor says works across multi-vendor and multi-technology 4G and 5G radio networks. Ericsson says the platform supports more than 100 available rApps from over 100 members. That catalogue is relevant to Verizon’s plan to use both supplier-built and self-developed software on the controller.
Ravi Vaidyanathan, Ericsson Americas’ vice president and head of cloud software and services for its Verizon customer unit, said the collaboration was improving network performance and advancing more automated operations. The field deployment supplies the announcement’s specific performance figures. The national controller rollout remains Verizon’s plan for 2026.
Ericsson’s Singtel and Telstra agreements
Ericsson has other operator partnerships focused on AI in networks. The vendor and Singtel entered a five-year strategic agreement covering 5G capabilities and AI applications in Singapore, TelecomTV reported on 26 October. Ericsson said a live-network trial with Singtel showed a 19% improvement in throughput.
Ericsson and Telstra also agreed to convene a working group on shared network knowledge and the governance of more autonomous operations. That work follows an earlier collaboration programme between the companies on autonomous networks. Unlike Verizon’s announcement, the Telstra initiative centres on common approaches for how automated systems use network information.
Other equipment suppliers are pursuing AI in radio networks: Samsung signed two AI radio-network contracts with KT and SK Telecom in South Korea, while Nvidia and Nokia extended AI computing across telecom networks.
Verizon plans to roll out the Ericsson Intelligent Controller nationally in 2026, Ericsson said.
