Ericsson, international defense company Leonardo, and the Italian Navy have successfully completed a maritime connectivity trial using an Ericsson 5G Standalone (5G SA) system, marking an important step forward for secure, mission-critical communications at sea. The test enabled continuous, high-performance connectivity between naval units operating in both daytime and nighttime open-sea training scenarios.
For the trial, a fully self-contained, end-to-end Ericsson 5G SA network was deployed on board the Italian Navy’s amphibious landing ship San Giorgio, which served as the lead platform during a recent experimentation campaign. The onboard network included Ericsson Ultra Compact Core and Ericsson Massive MIMO Radio Access Network solutions, enabling rapid deployment and resilient operations in a maritime environment.
In addition, Ericsson 5G Standalone customer premises equipment (CPE) was installed on a second Italian Navy vessel, the multi-purpose combat ship Raimondo Montecuccoli, allowing the two naval units to operate on the same secure 5G infrastructure during the exercise.
The activity formed part of the EDF 5G COMPAD project, delivered through close collaboration between Leonardo and Ericsson, and was showcased during the Italian Navy’s Operational Experimentation (OPEX) 2-25 in the Gulf of Taranto.
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By combining Ericsson’s 5G Standalone connectivity with Leonardo’s NINE encryption solution, the trial enabled the secure, real-time exchange of both classified and unclassified information between the two naval platforms. This included full situational awareness data from the Combat Management System, as well as live video streams from 12 unmanned systems processed through the AI Brain platform.
The OPEX activity validated the performance, security, and resilience of 5G SA for connected onboard systems, while also demonstrating how a unified 5G network can optimize spectrum usage compared with multiple standalone communications systems operating on unlicensed and potentially overlapping frequency bands, which are more vulnerable to interference.
Patrick Johansson, Senior Vice President and Head of Ericsson Europe, Middle East and Africa, says: “The Italian Navy is seeking the best possible connectivity solutions for its related needs, and we are proud to work with them towards that goal. Italy’s central Mediterranean location, with an exclusive economic zone spanning more than 500,000 Sq Km of sea, means the Italian Navy plays a strategically important role in Europe.”
Freddie Södergren, Head of Mission Critical Networks, Ericsson, says: “This successful trial with Leonardo and the Italian Navy represents a significant milestone in our ongoing commitment to advancing defense capabilities through 5G technology. 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.”
The same experimentation activity—officially designated as the Italian Navy open-sea Operational Experimentation (OPEX Task 2-25), conducted under the Multi-Domain Operational Experimentation Committee framework—also involved multiple ecosystem partners, each validating complementary maritime and defense technologies during live sea operations.