5G Core network solutions

Realize the full potential of 5G with Ericsson’s 5G Core

Make all the promises of 5G a reality with Ericsson’s 5G Core (5GC) solutions, the intelligence at the center of programmable, high-performing mobile networks. The 5G Core is the control hub that manages all data traffic, services and advanced functionalities of the network and enables the most innovative and new monetizable use cases of 5G.

Our cutting-edge solutions are designed to empower communication service providers (CSPs) to optimize costs while building and evolving their high-performing networks, achieving new levels of agility, security and business growth.

People walking inside the Pantheon, Rome

Join us at the Core Network Summit event 2026

Welcome to Ericsson Core Network Summit, exclusively for the Communication Service Provider (CSP) community. It will take place in Rome in May 2026 and the host is Telecom Italia Mobile (TIM). The summit will feature a lively and interactive format, where CSPs can share insights and learnings with each other and Ericsson. The overall theme of the event is Re-invent business for growth. Find details about the event in the event page.

Go to the event

Built on a proven cloud-native architecture, our offerings deliver a secure and resilient core network designed to fundamentally improve your operations with greater efficiency and improved total cost of ownership (TCO) while enabling new business growth through differentiated connectivity and new revenue streams from enterprises and public sector verticals.

Benefit from Ericsson’s proven results across 130+ live 5GC networks and 500+ million subscribers, with zero service interruption during the transition. We work with a multicloud deployment model with our own leading cloud infrastructure, as well as third-party cloud infrastructure providers including hyperscalers.

New to 5G Core and looking to gain a deeper understanding? Learn more about the architecture, key functions and integral role of 5G Core here.

Optimal costs meet high performance

By embracing cloud-native principles and shared, service-based infrastructure, our Ericsson 5G Core solutions help reduce both capital expenditure (CAPEX) and operational expenditure (OPEX), with efficiencies and savings in time, resource usage, energy consumption, site footprint and more. The result? Lower TCO – without compromising on performance.

Cloud-operating model for faster deployment and time to market

In-service software upgrades and automated acceptance testing slash the time required for testing and deployment, with zero maintenance windows. Third-party cloud platforms are supported, while a full-stack Ericsson solution offers simplicity and ease-of-mind, ensuring future-proof infrastructure while delivering high resiliency and security for even the most critical applications.

Business growth beyond mobile broadband

Enable new revenue streams with the new capabilities of 5G. Serve and scale differentiated connectivity for specific applications (such as ultra-low latency for autonomous vehicles or massive IoT) through 5G network slicing. Through Network APIs, you can expose and monetize your network’s capabilities to entirely new developer ecosystems – enabling new innovative enterprise applications and diversified revenue opportunities.

The benefits in numbers

2.00 x faster

deployments with in-service upgrades

Up to 3.00 x faster

time-to-deploy cloud infrastructure

Up to 25.00 %

lower TCO with a full-stack Ericsson 5G Core solution

70.00 %

reduction in testing time with automated acceptance testing

20.00 %

improvement in resource efficiency with our dual-mode 5G Core design

50.00 %

lower footprint through integrated service functions

Our latest integrated solutions and capabilities

5G Core industrialized solutions

In this video you get a short overview of how you can deploy cloud-native 5G Core networks faster with our latest industrialized solutions. Learn how our long experiences of launching dual-mode 5G Core networks globally have enabled us to design these TCO-optimized solutions to help you deploy a 5G Core network easier:

Ericsson Compact Packet Core – optimized for mobile broadband introduction and expansions
Ericsson Integrated Core – optimized for mobile broadband, public safety, utilities and defense

Compact Packet Core

The Ericsson Compact Packet Core leverages years of R&D investments in cloud-native products and cloud infrastructure, and experience in delivering services. The solution is built for optimized TCO over the coming years with footprint and lifecycle management in mind. The solution supports two main scenarios:

User plane expansion with optimized footprint including regional expansions and use case specific deployments
Migrating the control and user plane with gradual or direct traffic transfer to cloud-native nodes

Ericsson Integrated Core

Discover our new groundbreaking Integrated Core solution, designed for fast migration and expansions of 5G Core. It combines the benefits of an industrialized solution with the full capabilities of world-class cloud native software to enable 5G monetization.

Easier cloud native introduction offering the best lifetime value
Shorten time to service with 80 percent fewer parameters to configure
Perform in-service software upgrades

Ultra Compact Core

Introducing Ericsson’s Ultra Compact Core (UCC) for defense operations. Designed for rapid deployment in even the most challenging environments, this new offering delivers seamless communication when and where it matters most.

Deployment in minutes
The same level of security, capacity, and durability as commercial networks
User-friendly, with a focus on minimizing operational complexity and TCO

Ericsson On-Demand

Ericsson On-Demand is a new way to deploy and scale mobile core services, complementing the existing network with a SaaS-based 5G Core. Fast, simple and without the overhead, it minimizes carbon impact while maximizing performance.

Launch fast and stay ahead
Run like a leader, with site reliability engineers to manage every detail
A consumption-based model means costs scale with your revenues

Ericsson’s dual-mode 5G Core

Ericsson’s dual-mode 5G Core combines Evolved Packet Core (EPC) and 5G Core network functions into a common platform, offering efficient TCO and a smooth migration to 5G and new monetizable services. It can handle traffic from both 4G and 5G networks simultaneously, boosting the utilization of deployed infrastructure capacity. This gives you a significant CAPEX saving of up to 20 percent on core network infrastructure – compared to operating two separate systems.

Read the “one core” solution guide

With your foundational dual-mode 5G Core in place, it’s easy to deploy new revenue-generating features, services and products on top.

These can be combined to create additional value for consumer, enterprise and public sector use cases – for example leveraging differentiated connectivity to deliver mission-critical broadband for public safety, or monetizing network APIs to target verticals such as manufacturing, mining, agriculture, banking, financial institutions and more.

Available now: 5G Advanced location services with indoor and outdoor positioning

Enterprises and public-sector organizations face a wide range of challenges in the evolving digital landscape, including accurate detection of emergency incident locations, effective crowd management, optimized logistics routing and livestock tracking to name a few.

This offering mark a significant breakthrough in location-based technology, providing unprecedented accuracy and efficiency through 5G networks. By integrating positioning directly into the 5G Standalone (5G SA) architecture, these services enable seamless indoor and outdoor positioning with exceptional precision, while reducing device power consumption and dependencies on the device side.

Get the full story

Differentiated connectivity

Harness performance as a value proposition with 5G Core features such as network slicing with QoS support, UPF selection based on slice and flexible provisioning of UDM slice subscription data.

5G location services

Deliver location services with Ericsson Network Location combined with our 5G Core's advanced location-related features.

RedCap

Enable and monetize the next wave of connected devices through 5G Core features including radio access type with KPIs, inter-NR and LTE-to-NR mobility, voice KPIs (Rx) and subscription-based RedCap allowance.

Mission-critical services

Deliver high-performing, resilient and secure mobile broadband and communication services to a wider range of industrial and public safety use cases with the support of 5G Core’s mission-critical features including high-availability, QoS, paging priority, geo-redundancy and pre-emption.

Critical IoT and XR

Enable demanding Critical IoT and XR use cases that require low latency, high reliability and data delivery with required guaranteed levels through Ericsson Local Packet Gateway for edge and 5G Core features such as low latency L4S, QoS monitoring and ultra-reliable low latency communication (URLLC).

Network APIs

Monetize your network beyond mobile broadband through new diverse commercial models based on subscription, usage or revenue share of your network APIs. This is enabled through Cloud Core Exposure Server, Ericsson Network Location and Ericsson Secure Entitlement Server – exposing multiple capabilities from CSP networks including core network products.

A female working using 5G digital twin technology

5G delivers the most demanding era of networks yet. Intelligent automation and analytics are crucial to simplifying the growing complexity of modern 5G operations – delivering greater efficiency, improved performance, lower operational costs, shorter time to market and enhanced scalability.

Software updates across both the application and infrastructure layer are key to ensuring that your 5G Core can continue to enable the innovation and performance that you require – with zero disruption across your live services.

In-service software upgrades

Perform in-service software upgrades (ISSU) for your core network applications while maintaining full user traffic across your live networks. With ISSU implemented across our applications portfolio, we take you into a new operations paradigm where your network can be seamlessly updated with improved quality and speed. What used to be a night shift activity can now be performed at peak times even with full network load.

Container-as-a-Service rolling upgrades

Perform rolling upgrades across your infrastructure layer while maintaining performance across your live networks through Container-as-a-Service rolling upgrades (CaaS-RU). This means replacing components sequentially without interrupting service, a solution that works in tandem with ISSU when moving to a cloud operating model.

Network data analytics function

The Ericsson network data analytics function streamlines how your core network data is produced and consumed, as well as generating and executing on insights. It addresses the data collection interface from network nodes, predefined analytics insights and the data exposure interface for consumers, giving you a smoother journey to the 3GPP standard and a lower TCO.

User plane solutions

The user plane in Ericsson's 5G Core is engineered for maximal resource efficiency and high throughput, critical for handling ever-increasing mobile traffic demands. Our solutions are designed to optimize physical resources and enable cost savings by integrating multiple value-added functions within a single packet processing pipeline, as well as enhance security.

Packet Core Gateway

The Packet Core Gateway (PCG) is designed to maximize physical resource efficiency and support high 5G New Radio throughputs, reaching roughly 20/10Gbps per unique user. It consolidates multiple value-added functions as embedded service functions within a single packet processing pipeline, ideal for distribution and scaling. Value added functions include traffic and video optimization, NAT, firewall, software probes as well as the capability to include leading 3rd party applications.

Local Packet Gateway

Ericsson Local Packet Gateway is designed to help CSPs address the edge opportunity in virtual and hybrid 5G private networks segments to support high data bandwidth and low latency use cases. It’s an all-in-one solution that is simple to deploy and manage, based on the same application software as Ericsson Packet Core Gateway.

Ericsson's offerings for control plane functions provide the intelligent orchestration and dynamic management essential for a high-performing 5G network. Solutions work in concert to deliver common authentication and mobility management across 4G and 5G, significantly simplifying overall network architecture and signaling. This layer also leverages tools and automation to ensure faster service launches and substantial OPEX savings through streamlined policy configuration and acceptance testing.

Cloud Core Resource Controller

Controls network resources and services, dynamically managing user equipment traffic between slices and admission control for optimal quality of experience. The Network Repository Function automates resource management, the Network Slice Selection Function optimizes user equipment slice placement via policy, and the Network Slice Admission Control Function ensures service-level agreement adherence with quota-based admission control for network functions and protocol data unit sessions.

Cloud Core Subscription Manager

Manages identifiers, authentication, registration, mobility, and subscription data for various end-user devices, executing access authentication across 3G, 4G, and 5G networks to ensure optimal radio-access quality and a harmonized service experience. It also features overload protection for resilient performance and secure service continuity, supporting multi-vendor authentication, handover, IMS, and SMS communications. An optional Authentication Security Module offers premium protection for subscriber authentication by physically safeguarding cryptographic keys and identifiers in dedicated external hardware.

Cloud Core Policy Controller

Implements the Policy Control Function for 5GC and Policy and Charging Rules Function for 4G Evolved Packet Core. This centralized policy control point leverages the benefits of cloud-native to dynamically optimize service delivery for superior quality of experience. The Controller provides simplified, flexible policy handling with diverse configuration options for session, user, access, or mobility management. It also enhances network programmability, adapting policies to real-time behavior via AI modules and ensuring resilience through geographical redundancy.

Cloud Core Exposure Server

An exposure platform aggregating 4G and 5G APIs to securely expose and monetize network capabilities (both internal and external). This enables programmable networks and revenue growth via open network APIs, with flexible deployment and multi-layered security. Building on this, the Edge Exposure Server offers simplified APIs for edge applications: user equipment information, location and network quality of service.

Packet Core Controller

Offers a complete dual-mode control plane within a single product, effectively managing device network access, mobility, and session management, including 5GC capabilities such as Access and Mobility Management and Session Management functions. It supports Evolved Packet Core signaling with Serving Gateway Control Plane, Packet Data Network Gateway Control Plane and Mobility Management Entity functions. This solution facilitates a low-risk and rapid time to market for 5GC deployments through overlay deployments and provides unified operations and maintenance interfaces to improve ease of use and reduce TCO.

Signaling Controller

Manages all communication signaling between various 4G and 5G Core network functions (NFs). It implements 3GPP NFs within the service-based 5GC architecture, such as Service Communication Proxy (SCP), Binding Support Function (BSF), and Security Edge Protection Proxy (SEPP). The SCP simplifies network topology and manages signaling, while the BSF ensures sessions from a single subscriber are routed to the same Policy Control Function, and the SEPP enables secure 5G roaming. This product is designed for robustness, supports diameter-based signaling, and offers multi-vendor compatibility across 4G and 5G technologies.

Data layer solutions

At the heart of Ericsson’s 5G Core lies a robust data layer, specifically designed for centralized storage and efficient management of subscription and network application data. Our solutions enable the flexible allocation of data storage resources across multiple network slices. This approach optimizes software differentiation and can lead to CAPEX savings, ensuring network data handling is both scalable and cost-effective.

Cloud Core Data-Storage Manager

Offers unified data storage through combined Unified Data Repository and Unstructured Data Storage Function network functions in a single product. Additionally, it is exposed to provisioning applications with a dedicated provisioning function.

Ericsson Dynamic Activation

Provides for flow-through provisioning in both fixed and mobile domains with rapid activation of network and subscriber services. For native, virtualized and hybrid environments, it allows operators to automate and manage all network and service configuration and activation activities.

Cloud infrastructure solutions

Ericsson's Cloud Infrastructure offers service providers with proven, and standards-based solutions for 5G network functions and applications. These fully system-verified on-premise cloud infrastructure solutions cater to both virtual and cloud-native applications.

Explore now

Related offerings

Cloud-native IMS

Cloud Native IP Multimedia Subsystem (IMS) is a solution based on containers, integrating all the key 3GPP-defined IMS network functions into a single, unified product that supports automated lifecycle management, delivering significant reductions in footprint and energy consumption.

Service orchestration solutions

Our orchestration solutions are designed to empower you by streamlining operations, automating processes, and enhancing service delivery through a range of advanced features. They enable you to efficiently manage complex networks and ensure seamless integration and coordination across various components.

Vodafone and Ericsson

Follow Vodafone’s exciting 5G Standalone (SA) multi-market innovation journey through 5G Core and cloud-native infrastructure – a transformation that enables ultra-low latency, enhanced network resilience and security-driven solutions. With a 5G Core foundation, Vodafone can now shift their focus to increasing B2B network slicing monetization and advancing automation towards a fully autonomous network.

“I’m very proud of the collaboration and the good partnership that we built with Ericsson, especially in the first markets where we have deployed 5G SA – in Germany and in the UK.”

TPG Telecom Australia | 5G Core and VoNR journey

Hear about TPG´s transformation journey with 5G Core and launch of 5G voice (VoNR). It´s now the foundation to unlock new enterprise use cases with network slicing and APIs.

MTN | 5G Core and cloud native journey

Explore MTN’s 5G Core and cloud native infrastructure network transformation journey, a crucial step toward 5G standalone.

SK Telecom | World-first bare-metal cloud-native 5G Core

Find out how SK Telecom strengthened 5G network operation capabilities and flexibility through cloud-native 5G Core, significantly their improving traffic processing efficiency.