Ericsson is primed to benefit from a new agreement between the European Union (EU) and the U.S. to promote deeper collaboration on emerging technologies, said the company’s President and CEO, Börje Ekholm.
The agreement, following this week’s ministerial meeting of the EU-US Trade and Technology Council (TTC) in Sweden, covers new frontiers including artificial intelligence (AI), 6G, online platforms and quantum computing. The TTC also drew much focus on creating a “sustainable business environment for an integrated transatlantic marketplace.”
“As an R&D-led company, Ericsson welcomes the joint EU-U.S. commitment to emerging and future technologies and the understanding of the role these technologies will play in driving national and regional economic growth,” Ekholm said in a statement. “Ericsson is ready to play a responsible and central role in the deepening EU-U.S. Trade and Technology Council cooperation to ensure that the EU and the U.S., and its initiative partners, benefit.”
Ekholm specifically doubled down on the company’s commitment to bringing its 5G and 5G Standalone (SA) technology to customers in both the EU and U.S.
And the framework laid out by the EU and U.S. distinctively includes an agreement between Sweden and the U.S. to cooperate on 6G research, which will be important for companies like Ericsson, Sweden’s foreign trade minister, Johan Forssell, told Swedish media.
The TTC developed a 6G outlook that summarizes the conclusions of a transatlantic 6G workshop, guiding principles and key themes for a common vision and next steps as 6G is expected to start replacing 5G as the predominant commercial cellular wireless standard by 2030, according to the TCC.
Top political figures from each delegation took the helm of the discussions, including U.S. Secretary of State Antony Blinken, U.S. Secretary of Commerce Gina Raimondo, European Commission EVPs Margrethe Vestager and Valdis Dombrovskis and European Commissioner Thierry Breton.
Ekholm was also present at the event along with other leading members of Sweden’s business community.
In a joint statement outlining the agreement, the EU and U.S. said the TCC plays a “central role” in the transatlantic partnership.
“Given the rapid pace of technological developments, the European Union and the United States are committed to deepening our cooperation on technology issues, including on artificial intelligence (AI), 6G, online platforms and quantum,” the statement said.
“In this context, we seek to continue advancing the principles presented in the Declaration for the Future of the Internet (DFI), together with like-minded partners. The European Union and the United States share a commitment to develop our workforces with the skills to spur the next wave of economic growth.”