Ericsson and Drei Austria Launch Strategic Partnership To Modernize Core Network and Drive Digital Innovations

Ericsson and Drei Austria announced that they have entered a multi-year strategic partnership to modernize the operator’s Core Network. This collaboration lays the foundation for faster, more secure, and energy-efficient connectivity while enabling the next wave of 5G capabilities.

As part of the transformation, Ericsson will deploy its cloud-native dual-mode 5G Core solution, hosted on the Ericsson Cloud Native Infrastructure Solution, allowing Drei Austria to operate both 4G and 5G networks on a unified platform. The upgraded infrastructure will introduce greater automation and AI-driven operations, enhancing efficiency, scalability, and time-to-market for new services.

More than a technology upgrade, this modernization reflects a long-term strategic collaboration between two major players committed to shaping Austria’s digitalization future. Through close cooperation and joint innovation, this partnership aims to accelerate the introduction of advanced capabilities like AI-driven operations, automation, and programmable networks, delivering powerful new services for consumers and enterprises.

This strategic modernization will support Drei Austria to become a hub for future-forward use cases, including massive IoT, connected devices, network slicing, and many others. Enterprises across sectors such as manufacturing, healthcare, and logistics will benefit from more agile, secure, and tailored connectivity solutions enabled by Drei Austria and Ericsson.

The modernization will deliver a scalable, future-ready Core network built to meet rising data demands while supporting Drei Austria’s ambition to deliver sustainable digital services.

Alexander Sysoev, Country manager at Ericsson Austria, says: "This new partnership gives Drei Austria a secure, efficient, and flexible 5G Core network that enables faster innovation for both consumers and enterprises. We’re working together to build a platform that supports new services and drives Austria’s digital future."

Rico Chemnitz, Senior Head of Core Network & Infrastructure at Drei Austria, says: "With Ericsson as new technology partner we have put yet another puzzle stone to ensure the modernization of our Core Network and enhance network capabilities, improve service agility, increase network automation, and enable new business opportunities for our customers. Modernization has always been a vital part of meeting user experience and business targets, and it will also become increasingly relevant to execute on our long-term network strategy."

The modernized Core Network will enhance everyday experiences for subscribers such as streaming, gaming, and remote work, while also supporting key enterprise capabilities including network slicing, Massive IoT, and emerging use cases like connected vehicles and smart cities.

Through this collaboration, Ericsson and Drei Austria are implementing a modern and sustainable Core Network architecture that enables innovation at scale. Together, the companies are paving the way for new digital experiences, co-developing use cases, and staying ahead of market expectations.

Source: Ericsson and Drei Austria media announcement