Ericsson, international defence company Leonardo and the Italian Navy have conducted a maritime connectivity test using an Ericsson 5G Standalone system.

The trial was completed, enabling connectivity between naval units engaged in a day and night training scenario on the open sea.

A completely self-contained end-to-end Ericsson 5G SA network – comprising compact core and massive MIMO radio access network products – was installed on board the Italian Navy’s amphibious landing ship San Giorgio, which served as the lead unit during a recent experimentation campaign.

Ericsson 5G SA customer premises equipment was installed on board a second unit of the Italian Navy (www.marina.difesa.it), the Raimondo Montecuccoli multi-purpose combat ship.

Leonardo and Ericsson collaborated in the EDF 5G Compad project and demonstrated its outcomes during the Italian Navy’s Operational Experimentation (Opex) 2-25 in the Gulf of Taranto.

Using Ericsson’s 5G SA connectivity and Leonardo’s Nine encryption offering, the trial enabled the secure, real-time exchange of classified and unclassified information between two naval units, including full situational awareness from the combat management system and video streams from 12 unmanned systems processed via the AI Brain platform.

The Opex validated the performance, security and resilience of 5G SA for on-board connected systems, while also showing how a unified 5G network can optimise spectrum usage compared with multiple standalone communication systems operating on unlicensed and potentially overlapping bands with interference risks.

“The Italian Navy is seeking the best possible connectivity for its related needs, and we are proud to work with them towards that goal,” said Patrick Johansson, senior vice president at Ericsson. “Italy’s central Mediterranean location, with an exclusive economic zone spanning more than 500,000km² of sea, means the Italian Navy plays a strategically important role in Europe.”

Freddie Södergren, head of mission critical networks at Ericsson (www.ericsson.com), added: “This successful trial with Leonardo and the Italian Navy represents a significant milestone in our ongoing commitment to advancing defence capabilities through 5G technology. As an integral part of Ericsson’s defence 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.”

Leonardo (www.leonardo.com) has 60,000 employees worldwide and has production capabilities in Italy, UK, Poland and USA.