Ericsson Count on China to Develop AI and 6G

JAKARTA - Ericsson still places China as one of the important markets. The Swedish telecommunications company sees China not only as a place to sell technology, but also a major arena for developing new generation networks, AI, and intelligent robotics.

Launching a report by China Daily Wednesday, June 24, the view was expressed by Chafic Nassif, Head of Ericsson Northeast Asia and Senior Vice President of Ericsson, at the Summer Davos 2026 in Dalian, Liaoning Province.

According to Nassif, China has a combination that is difficult to match. Its scale is large, its execution is fast, and its industry ecosystem is innovative. These factors make China an important market in the global technology landscape.

He mentioned three main Chinese strengths. First, market scale. Second, the ability to be at the forefront of technology. Third, the strength of research and development, from universities to applied research.

"China is important for us and the world. In the future, China will continue to become more and more important," said Nassif.

For Ericsson, China is not just a business opportunity. The country is also an important place for the development of AI-based connectivity.

Nassif said Ericsson wants to play a big role in the development of AI and physical AI. Physical AI is artificial intelligence that is implanted in robots, autonomous vehicles, and other physical systems so that they can work more independently.

According to Nassif, companies that want to be credible in technological developments must be present where innovation is growing.

This statement comes as global technology supply chains are increasingly under pressure from geopolitics. Cross-country cooperation in the fields of semiconductors, telecommunications, and AI is also increasingly under scrutiny.

Nassif said many countries are now inclined to close themselves off. He hopes China will maintain openness. According to him, Ericsson believes in openness, diversity, and collaboration to drive long-term innovation.

In the same report, Nassif said China's digital ecosystem stands out for its ability to bring new technologies to an industrial scale quickly.

He gave an example of the launch of a nationwide 5G Standalone network. 5G Standalone is a 5G network that uses its own 5G network core, not relying on the 4G system.

According to Nassif, China became the first country to launch 5G Standalone across the country since the beginning. The momentum is now continuing to the next generation network.

Ericsson is starting to see 6G as a network that is designed from the start to be integrated with AI. Nassif said the company is starting to collaborate with Chinese companies in the field.

China is also considered strong in physical AI. Nassif said robotics companies such as Unitree are also pushing this new economy. He also assessed companies such as BYD and Xiaomi are getting closer to autonomous vehicles.

For Ericsson, China's strength lies in its ability to connect research, universities, manufacturing supply chains, and industrialization on a large scale.

Even though geopolitical pressure has not eased, Nassif remains optimistic that cooperation will continue. He hopes that China will continue to maintain openness so that collaboration in connectivity technology, AI, and 6G can continue to grow.