• Gathering experienced AI partners is key for the telecom sector’s vendors
• Ericsson has made friends with French AI specialist Mistral in an effort to develop meaningful ‘AI for networks’

Ericsson has taken a strategic step towards becoming a sovereign supplier of telco-specific AI capabilities for network operators in Europe by forging a partnership with French artificial intelligence platform developer Mistral AI: The pair plan to “apply advanced AI to real telecom challenges with a clear goal to make networks smarter, more efficient, and more trusted.” 

By combining Mistral’s AI model customisation and Ericsson’s mobile network know-how, the partners plan to develop AI agents that can help telcos with  “high-impact use cases that speed software delivery and strengthen network performance, including automation of legacy code translation, AI-assisted development for 6G research, and custom AI agents for complex workflows in Ericsson’s Networks organisation.”

According to the Swedish vendor, the partnership “focuses on AI for networks, not AI in isolation, to deliver measurable outcomes for customers.”

Dag Lindbo. Head of AI & Emerging Technologies, Business Area Networks, at Ericsson, stated: “At Ericsson, AI for networks is about precision, not hype. With Mistral AI, we apply advanced models where they matter most. From accelerating code migration to informing 6G research and building trustworthy AI agents, this collaboration helps us improve time to value for customers while strengthening performance and resilience across the network.”

Marjorie Janiewicz, chief revenue officer at Mistral AI, added: "This partnership with Ericsson isn’t just about applying AI to telecom, it’s about transforming networks from the ground up. By combining our frontier models with Ericsson’s unmatched expertise in radio, cloud, and carrier-grade systems, we’re customizing models that have deep domain knowledge and accelerate modernization. Together, we’re setting a new standard for what AI can achieve in telecom: networks that are more resilient, more responsive, and ready for the future of connectivity."

The news follows only days after Ericsson launched its Agentic rApp-as-a-Service, which is already being tested by the network operations team at Telefónica’s major Latin American unit Vivo Brazil, and unveiled AI-ready radios, antennas, and AI RAN software ahead of the upcoming MWC26 trade show. 

- Ray Le Maistre, Editorial Director, TelecomTV