Ericsson has paired with defense company Leonardo and the Italian Navy to carry out a maritime connectivity test using an Ericsson 5G Standalone (5G SA) system.

According to the network vendor, the trial enabled connectivity between naval units engaged in a day and night training scenario on the open sea, with the trial successfully demonstrating long-range 5G SA data communication at sea.

Ericsson installed its Ultra Compact Core and Ericsson Massive MIMO RAN products on board the Italian Navy’s amphibious landing ship San Giorgio, which served as the lead unit during a recent experimentation campaign.

On top of this, the vendor's 5G SA customer premises equipment (CPE) was installed on board a second unit of the Italian Navy, the Raimondo Montecuccoli.

Leonardo's encryption kit was used as part of the trial to run a real-time exchange of classified and unclassified information between two naval units, including full situational awareness from the combat management system and video streams from 12 unmanned systems processed via the AI Brain platform.

Ericsson said the collaboration proved that a unified 5G network can optimize spectrum usage compared to multiple standalone communication systems operating on unlicensed and potentially overlapping bands with interference risks.

“This successful trial with Leonardo and the Italian Navy represents a significant milestone in our ongoing commitment to advancing defense capabilities through 5G technology," said Patrick Johansson, senior vice president and head of Ericsson Europe, Middle East, and Africa.

"As an integral part of Ericsson’s defense portfolio, our 5G platform is designed to meet the rigorous demands of the sector. This collaboration not only demonstrates the versatility of dual-use 5G in critical operations, but also highlights how enhanced connectivity at sea can significantly strengthen naval communications and operational effectiveness.”

Ericsson has previously worked with the Italian Navy as part of NATO trials in 2024, when an end-to-end 5G SA network was installed in the Italian Naval base at Taranto.

During Ericsson's earnings call last month, the vendor's CEO confirmed that the company will increase R&D investments in defense and mission-critical opportunities this year.