en.Wedoany.com Reported - Ericsson, Telia, and other partners have announced the establishment of a new national connectivity and next-generation test center called "Digital Arena Sweden" on the Swedish island of Gotland, with an investment exceeding SEK 300 million. The initiative aims to strengthen Sweden's industrial digital competitiveness by providing advanced digital solutions in the fields of 5G, 6G, and artificial intelligence.
The test center has received support from the Swedish Innovation Agency (Vinnova) through the "Advanced Digitalization Innovation Program," with partners including Ericsson, Telia, Swedish research institute RISE (and its subsidiary AstaZero), and Future by Lund. Ericsson is responsible for establishing and advancing a unique pre-commercial 6G test environment in collaboration with Lund University and KTH Royal Institute of Technology.
During the 2026 Almedalen Week (opening today on the Swedish island of Gotland), a senior delegation of Ericsson executives will discuss the role of connectivity in Sweden's digital competitiveness. Erik Ekudden, Chief Technology Officer of Ericsson, stated that by creating one of the world's first combined 5G, 6G, and AI test environments—years ahead of commercial deployment—Swedish industry and research can be positioned at the forefront. He described this as an opportunity to define how a connected society operates, enabling AI agents, physical AI (robotics), and autonomous systems to be developed and validated. Anders Olsson, CEO of Telia Sweden, said the new test center opens the door for more companies to engage with the latest 5G technology and AI, meeting stringent requirements for security and sovereignty, thereby enhancing Sweden's digital security and competitiveness.
The test center will help industries ranging from mining and transportation to defense and medical technology explore the potential of 6G, with insights also feeding back into the global 6G standardization process. The new 6G environment builds on the Telia-Ericsson innovation program NorthStar, which provides the latest 5G capabilities. The center aims to offer a shared digital portal and common testing framework, making advanced technology more accessible to Sweden's entire innovation ecosystem and accelerating the journey from concept to commercial deployment.
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