Ericsson aims to enable communications service providers to support location-based services across sectors including manufacturing, healthcare, automotive, drones, and public safety
In sum – what to know:
Location becomes a native 5G function – Ericsson embeds positioning directly into the 5G SA core, removing the need for overlays or external sensors.
High-precision indoor and outdoor accuracy – Sub-10 cm outdoor positioning via RTK and sub-meter indoor accuracy enable industrial and mission-critical use cases.
Enterprise and vertical focus – Integrated APIs and scalable architecture support sectors such as manufacturing, healthcare, automotive, drones, and public safety
Swedish vendor Ericsson has announced the launch of 5G-Advanced location services, a new positioning capability designed for deployment on commercial 5G Standalone (SA) networks.
The solution, scheduled for release in the first quarter of 2026, integrates location functionality directly into Ericsson’s dual-mode 5G Core, removing the need for additional sensors or overlay infrastructure, according to the Nordic vendor.
The offering supports high-precision positioning across both outdoor and indoor environments. Outdoor accuracy can reach below 10 centimeters using Real-Time Kinematics (RTK), while indoor positioning achieves sub-meter precision through Ericsson’s indoor network solutions. The system is designed to provide consistent indoor–outdoor coverage using a unified 5G positioning framework, the vendor said.
By making positioning a native network capability, Ericsson aims to enable communications service providers to support location-based services across sectors, including manufacturing, healthcare, automotive, drones, and public safety. Integrated APIs allow enterprises and developers to access network-based location data without requiring device-side applications, while also reducing battery consumption compared with satellite-based alternatives.
According to Ericsson, the platform supports a number of use cases such including geofencing, population density analysis, and asset tracking, and is designed to scale across high-density environments.
Monica Zethzon, head of core networks at Ericsson, said: “With the launch of 5G-Advanced location services, we are evolving the value of 5G Standalone networks. This innovation gives CSPs the precision and scalability to create differentiated services based on location capabilities.”
Caroline Gabriel, partner at Analysys Mason, added: “Ericsson’s integrated approach to indoor and outdoor positioning sets a new benchmark in the industry. It addresses critical pain points for operators and enterprises, particularly in sectors where location accuracy is mission-critical.”
Ericsson also highlighted that the global market for 5G positioning remains at an early stage but is expected to grow as demand increases for precise, network-based location services. The company plans to introduce related RTK-enabled devices alongside the platform in the first quarter of 2026.
